an arrancar's heart
by bakugirl
Summary: during her travels in the feudal era she had met and fallen in love with a certain panther demon. now, the well is closed off, shikon jewel wished away, and they've lost nearly all of their memories of each other until they reunite and they come crashing back, will their relationship survive or will the soul society force them apart?
1. Chapter 1

an arrancar's heart

KagomexGrimmjow /

it's been a year after Naraku was defeated, and the well was sealed off, leaving her on the modern side. oh, she hoped her little Shippo was okay..

"Kagome?" a male's voice called out to her hesitantly.

"hmm? oh, hey, Ichigo..." Kagome gave him a weak smile. "it's amazing how it's already been a full year since the well closed me off from the feudal era..." she gave a soft laugh, but sounded empty. Kagome then returned to staring out the window of the guest room of Ichigo's home. 'a full year since I lost HIM, that incredible panther demon, AUGH, why can't I remember much about him?! DAMNIT!'

"hey! hey! don't zone out on me already!" he gently shook her shoulder.

"huh? oh, s-sorry, Ichigo.. I was just...thinking again." she offered an apologetic smile.

"about the world you miss." he gave her a knowing look.

"yeah." she finally turned away from the window to look at him, "but what I miss most is..heh, there was this one demon...a-after I made a wish on the shikon jewel...I guess it deemed some memories too...painful? too DANGEROUS? I don't know, but I lost quite a few memories, and all of them were about this...panther demon. I-...it drives me insane how I can't remember his name, only vaguely remember his voice, and his face is a big blur for the most part. but the one thing that is still crystal clear, is what he'd do when he wanted to get my attention." she laughed softly.

"what's that?"

Kagome smiled and let out another small laugh, "he'd wrap his arms around me from behind and say, 'your king needs some lovin'.' or sometimes he'd curl around me, and set his head on my lap, then nudge me with his paw until I gave him what he wanted" a few more giggles left her, and for a few moments she had the first real smile since she'd come to Karakura town.

"wait, paw?" Ichigo asked, seriously confused

"yeah, I-..he had 3 forms, which was strange for a demon, but Shippo always said it was cool because he was really strong, and he...he-...he was..-urfh...I know I loved him, but I can't remember much of anything else." she said, trying to piece the memory together fully.

"why don't you go to sleep? you've been up for a few days now, that's not healthy." he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I know, I know... but I just can't seem to fall asleep, I miss him so much...I miss his warmth, and his laugh, and how soft his hair was, if only I could remember more about him..."

"tell you what, if you get some sleep, I'll sit down with you tomorrow, and we can talk through it, maybe that'll jog some memories."

"alright...but you know...sometimes I get little pulses of his youki, although...it feels different from how I remember it." she smiled sadly

"I'll ask Rukia, she might know something to explain it." he gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"alright, and I'll try to get some sleep, Ichigo.." Kagome laid down and curled under the soft comforter.

"good, and soon too! it's already getting dark out."

UUWAAAAHHHAAAHHHH!

"a hollow..." Kagome whispered; tensing up for a moment. could her panther demon have turned into one of those monsters? 'no, Ichigo said hollows always first target their loved ones from when they were alive. I haven't seen any panther demons since the well closed, and I haven't had any hollows target me for me instead of how strong my spiritual pressure is. so maybe he's still alive? or just not a hollow?' she stiffened, then smiled as that ever-familiar sensation of youki pulsed and danced across the edges of her senses. he was definitely out there, somewhere... and she would find him.

Ichigo sighed, he really wanted to find that demon for Kagome, mostly because she wasn't the bright, spit-fire woman he knew. not since she was cut off from that rag-tag family she'd made in the past.

"so, anything new about that demon of hers?" Rukia asked, leaning against the wall.

"she can sense him for brief moments sometimes. what do you think that means?"

"well, I don't know about demons, but for human souls to have a burst of spiritual pressure like that it means they've either been taken to the soul society, or they've become a hollow. I hate to say it, Ichigo, but there's never once been a sighting of what Kagome calls a 'demon', and Captain Kurotsuchi has absolutely no idea of what I'm trying to describe to him! I think they died out hundreds of years ago." the raven haired soul reaper sighed.

"I just wish there was a way to cheer her up, sometimes I wonder if Kon helps or makes it worse." Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm sure it's a little of both." Rukia scoffed slightly.

"heh, yeah, he can be a little too much at times. oh, yeah, how's Renji doing? I mean, he's in charge of protecting Karakura town for the next month or so"

"he's probably bored out of his mind for the most part, you know him. but if he needs any help, he can always contact me with the emergency line of my soul pager." Rukia shrugged. "have you seen any arrancars lately?"

"just Ulquiorra, I don't know what he wants, he doesn't fight when I try to confront him. he just gives me that bored look of his, and leaves. sometimes, I wonder if he's looking for something. why else would he ignore me like that?" Ichigo groaned, ruffling up his spiky orange hair.

-Los Noches-

Grimmjow sat awake in his room in Los Noches. 'why the hell can't I sleep?' he suddenly tensed and looked around the room, 'tch. damn, I think I'm losing it, I keep getting that feeling. like this oddly familiar spiritual pressure. I think it's a woman's, but I don't know a woman with spiritual pressure like that..' he thought to himself, staring out his window at the moon.

"Grimmjow. Lord Aizen wishes to see you." the monotone voice of Ulquiorra cut through the silence.

"sure, whatever." he replied gruffly, pushing off his bed, and went to the throne room, where Aizen usually was.

"ah! Grimmjow, how have you been feeling? I've noticed you haven't quite been yourself as of late." Aizen asked, leaning forward in his throne-like chair curiously.

scratching the back of his neck, the sixth espada shrugged, "just haven't been able to sleep for the past few days, don't really see why it's such a big deal..."

"perhaps you should join Ulquiorra in his scouting missions, from what he's told me, he's encountered that substitute soul reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki, on nearly every trip he makes. a good fight should relax you, just don't kill him, he's of great use to us."

"tch, sure." Grimmjow scoffed, a smirk stretching across his features at the mention of fighting Ichigo.

"go and find Ulquiorra, he will tell you when his next trip is." Aizen gave the espada a wave to signify their talk was over.

"do you really think it's a good idea to let him go to the world of the living, Lord Aizen?" Gin asked, leaning against a pillar next to the ex-soul reaper captain.

"for one thing, it's preferable to having him at anything less than his best. I'm sure that Kurosaki boy will be able to survive the fight well enough, Ulquiorra won't let Grimmjow kill him. he's stronger, and will be able to stop the fight easily if it comes to it." Aizen replied, crossing his arms thoughtfully, "besides, I can't let the enemy rest for too long, I need to remind them that I could have any one of them killed at a moment's notice, it keeps things from growing tiresome, don't you agree?"

Gin's smile grew slightly, as a small chuckle escaped, "oh, yes, I agree entirely!"

"I'm glad to hear it..." Aizen chuckled.

Ulquiorra sighed frustratedly, "just remember, Lord Aizen wants the boy to keep his life, which also means all of his limbs. you must remember to hold yourself back, Grimmjow, you nearly killed him the last time you fought."

"yeah, yeah...are we goin' or what?" Grimmjow gestured to the awaiting Garganta.

"hmph, impatient as always..." the fourth espada shook his head slightly, as the two traveled to the world of the living. 'but I understand that impatience entirely...'

'maybe I'll be able to figure out what that spiritual pressure I keep sensing is.' Grimmjow thought to himself

"don't go wandering off too far, Grimmjow, I like to avoid any UNWANTED time here..."

"yeah, yeah, meet back here in an hour, unless I find Kurosaki, I wonder if he's gotten better at using that mask of his...heheheh!" without another word, Grimmjow walked off, chuckling to himself.

"a single hour will not be sufficient...I just hope he doesn't force me to cut my plans short because he failed to restrain himself again." Ulquiorra sighed, walking towards his own much awaited destination, a soft smile formed with each step he took. he couldn't wait to get there, in fact he was tempted to run, or even use his sonido. 'though, I highly doubt I will be able to restrain myself either.'

Kagome bolted upright from sleep, and looked out the window in a panic, WHOA! that was the strongest she'd ever felt him. was...was he in Karakura town? a soft smile stretched across her lips, oh, she certainly hoped so. "would I even recognize him if I saw him? either my memories of him are too fragmented, or his appearance has changed enough for me to not recognize him..." her chest constricted for a moment, no...no, she couldn't think like that! she had to keep hoping she'd get him back. it was all that kept her going...

she quickly put on some fresh clothes, and checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror before telling Yuzu she was going for a walk.

Kagome took a deep breath, the air here was so much cleaner than it was in Tokyo. small towns were nice like that...

"-gotta be around here somewhere..." there was a voice coming from around the corner. wait..sh-she KNEW that voice, she DEFINITELY knew that voice. but...could it..could it REALLY be HIM?! her panther demon?! she stood there, stunned, as a man rounded the corner, looking around as if searching for something.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N if it wasn't clear, his 3 forms were normal, Pantera/resurrection, and Adjuchas.**

 **on another note, should I include UlquiHime or keep it strictly GrimKag? please let me know by voting in this poll, it would help a lot. (take out the space)**

 **poal. me/cimz5q**

* * *

CH. 2

he had electric blue hair, and some sort of strange kimono with a sword hanging from his hip. what caught her attention next was the hole in his lower stomach, ouch...didn't that hurt? or...- Kagome tensed up as realization hit. this must be an, 'arrancar' that Ichigo and Rukia talked about. she had to hide! he was probably dangerous!

but before she even had the chance to move a muscle, he looked up at her, and blue met blue... they stood there, simply staring at each other.

did...he know her? she seemed...so familiar, yet he couldn't figure out why. "y-you..." he finally spoke after a little while, shock clearly evident among his striking features.

she was so stunned that she couldn't even get a single sound to come out. 'h-he seems...so familiar, a-and his voice! it's so similar to my panther demon...but could it really be him? or...maybe I know him from somewhere else? or I'm just imagining it...but this is way too real to simply be my imagination...'

in the blink of an eye he'd vanished from her line of sight, and reappeared just behind her. the sudden realization of that caused her to freeze further in place. he leaned in and took a few sniffs of her shoulder, "that smell...that spiritual pressure...could it really..." he growled ever-so-softly. everything about him screamed panther demon, but...was she just imagining it? afterall, she was near desperate to see her demon again. so it was possible...but still, what if?

ever-so-slowly, she turned around to face him. "I-I..."

"you're..." his voice trailed off, why did this woman feel so familiar to him?! why couldn't he look away from her?! "do I...know you?"

"I-I-...c-could say the same..." she stammered. "you...I feel like I should know you from somewhere, but I-..." she trailed off.

"just can't place it..." he finished her sentence numbly. he felt the exact same way. why did he feel so..oddly calm with this woman? was she...was she IMPORTANT to him? but she was just a human with strong spiritual pressure! what was so special about her?

"KAGOME!" the sudden shout startled the two, causing them both to look up.

with a flash of white exploding in his head, everything clicked and memories flooded back into their rightful places; memories of how they'd first met in the feudal era, back when he was a simple panther demon; memories of that damned dog, Inuyasha, and how he'd always run around screaming her name.

a warm sensation spread through the arrancar, and a quick rhythmic throbbing followed suit. 'what the hell?' was that...his HEART BEATING?! but he hadn't felt that since...he died just over 500 years ago... was he...starting to become...A-ALIVE?! but how was that even possible?!

looking over towards the sudden shout, Kagome saw Uryu running towards them, his quincy bow already drawn and ready to fire. "GRIMMJOW! STEP AWAY FROM HER THIS INSTANT!" Uryu shouted angrily

"huh? G-Grimm-jow?" Kagome parroted, why did that name feel so...right, so...so..calming?

he looked back at her, and felt that familiar warm tightness in his chest, oh yes...THAT'S how he knew this woman, she was HIS woman, his MATE.. "Kagome..." he smiled softly. "I can't believe I forgot about you...can you forgive me?"

"I-..s-so I DO know you!" she shouted, "I-I knew you seemed familiar, but...I still can't place it, I'm so sorry..."

a smirk found its way onto his lips, "well, don't keep your king waiting, little miko." he purred, wrapping his arms around her from behind, just as he always would. he hoped to trigger her memories the way the quincy had for him.

she gasped as recognition filled her, "OH! oh my- GRIMMJOW!" she yelped, spinning around and throwing her arms around his neck as she tackled him. "IT REALLY IS YOU! OH MY GOD! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ACTUALLY HERE!"

"OOF! H-HEY! ya don't need to jump me, woman!" he laughed after staggering back a few steps.

"HEY! KAGOME! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! HE'S ONE OF THE ARRANCARS! HE'S THE ENEMY!"

"oh, Grimmjow...! I thought I'd never see you again...oh, I missed you so much!" she sobbed in his chest, entirely too focused on her reunion with her beloved panther to even hear the quincy shouting at them.

"heh, it's been much longer for me, princess. gah..." he tightened his arms around her waist and held her close. a shudder ran down his spine as he buried his nose in her hair and breathed in deep. gods...she smelled so damn amazing!

"GRIMMJOW! KAGOME!" Uryu shouted again.

"tch, your friend is calling, ya know..." Grimmjow chuckled, nodding towards Uryu..

"huh? AH! Uryu!" she quickly realized he was pointing an arrow at them. "h-HEY...p-put the bow down!"

"you know I can't do that, Kagome, he's an arrancar, and in case you forgot, that's the ENEMY." Uryu glared darkly at Grimmjow.

"tch, why would I hurt my own mate?" Grimmjow scoffed. "now that I've got you back, you better be prepared to have this conversation with Kurosaki too, I already lost you once, I'm NOT losing you again..." he added with a rumbling purr as he buried his nose into the crook of her neck once more. "damnit...never again."

"Uryu! please, don't you remember that panther demon that I told you about?"

"of course I do, he's nearly all you talk about! but what does-" he cut himself off as the realization hit, "are you saying..."

"yes! you're looking at him right now! oh, isn't it just WONDERFUL?!" she smiled brightly, snuggling against the arrancar.

with a heavy sigh, he lowered and called back his bow. "Kagome..."

"oh no! NO! NO NO NO! don't you dare start with that, I'm not losing him a SECOND TIME, Uryu! I'll leave Karakura town with him if I have to. I JUST got him back, and you expect me to just WALK AWAY?! what would YOU do if you got back the one thing that meant everything to you, and someone was instantly trying to take that away from you? you'd fight it, I know you would! so don't expect me to give up Grimmjow...please..I can't lose him a second time, Uryu...I just can't...not again." Kagome began to sob. the very thought of losing Grimmjow again shook her deep down to her core, he was all she had left of the feudal era...and besides that, he was her mate...he was...he was HERS; her demon; her man; her lover; her EVERYTHING...she couldn't lose him a second time...it would kill her for sure.

Uryu looked up to the sky and ran his palm down his face with out a heavy groan. she had a point, of course he would fight back if it meant keeping something that he held so dearly. "fine, but how do you plan on explaining all this to Ichigo?"

"the same way I did to you" she smiled softly, tears still rolling down her cheeks. then let out a giggle as Grimmjow began to nuzzle his face against her neck. "h-hey! Grimmjow! that tickles!"

"mmmm, can't help it, I haven't felt these instincts in over 500 years, princess. right now they're nearly overwhelming. if I don't do something, they'll take over me, and I'm sure you can understand why that can't happen right now.."

she blushed for a moment, "oh, alright, but I'll only let you use that excuse for the rest of the week, ok?" her words pulled a deep throaty chuckle from him.

"sure, I think that'll be enough time to get settled in with things here."

Uryu couldn't believe what he was hearing! an espada renouncing ties to Aizen to permanently move into the living world?! all in favor of a single HUMAN WOMAN no less! "...urgh, should I call Ichigo to come here, or do you want to go to him? you know as well as I do, that you'll have to face him with this eventually, so you might as well do it first before he starts searching for you and finds out that way." Uryu grumbled, he didn't like this one little bit, but the last thing he wanted was to be one that took away the man she'd been searching YEARS to get back.

"yeah...you're right.." Kagome sighed,

"maybe I'll just let him give me a punch to the face!" Grimmjow laughed, "that should be enough to get him to listen at least!"


	3. Chapter 3

**key: if you want to be my beta-reader, you can give it a shot, but I write the way I write, if you actually LOG IN, then we can discuss the matter properly. (I know that I am by no means a literary master, but I like to think I can get by decently)**

 **again, I cannot continue much longer without resolving the ulquihime issue you can post a review if you'd like, or if it's easier, you can just vote in this poll. (remove the spaces)** poal . me/cimz5q

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CH. 3

"th-that's not funny, Grimmjow! he might draw Zangetsu when he sees you..someone could get really hurt, I'm not sure you or me, but-"

"hey, if I got you in my arms he wouldn't dare attack me, that way I can get him to agree to talk, it worked with the mutt, and you know how damn stubborn he was!"

"heh...yeah..just promise me you'll try to not start a fight with him, ok?"

"sure, I promise I won't START one, but I can't say the same for him." Grimmjow scoffed.

"fair enough. let's go, it's this way." Kagome smiled, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers together.

'Ulquiorra's gonna be so pissed at me for leaving...but I don't give a damn, I have my mate back! I swear I'll protect my right to keep her at my side with everything I've got, even if I have fight Aizen myself.' Grimmjow thought, glancing at the sky. this was what he wanted without a shred of doubt. he loved this woman -HIS woman- with every fiber of his being. 'heh, I wonder if I'll ever be able to have cubs with her. oh, wouldn't that be a sight...her belly round with my cub...she'd make the perfect mother too...'

"hey! hey, Grimmjow! what's distracting you so much?" the voice of his mate snapped him from his thoughts.

"huh? oh, just thinking."

"what about?" she laughed.

"well, for one thing I was thinking how absolutely incredible you'd look carrying my cub." he purred, pressing a palm to her belly. "that'd truly be one hell of a sight...hope I'll get to see it someday."

"y-your cub? y-you really want to be a father some day?" she stammered, blushing brightly.

"sure, if I can, I'm not exactly alive, you know. as an arrancar I'm technically a hollow."

"...right, well, I'm sure we'll find a way."

"just don't ask Urahara, he'd have a field day teasing the two of you." Uryu sighed. they were already thinking of children?! how absurd...

"I still have you, so that's all I care about for now." he purred.

"I know the feeling" she giggled, hugging his arm tightly as they walked down the street, it felt warm, which surprised her, he wasn't 'alive' so wouldn't he be at least a LITTLE cold to the touch?

"we'll have to get him a gigai sometime soon if he plans on staying here indefinitely." Uryu commented as they walked up to the Kurosaki clinic.

"so this is where he lives, huh?" Grimmjow hummed thoughtfully.

"yeah. HEY, ICHIGO!" Kagome called out, opening the door.

"no need to yell like that, Kag-! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING AT MY HOME, GRIMMJOW?!" Ichigo reached into his pocket, and pressed his combat pass to his chest, then pointed Zangetsu at him. that's when he noticed Kagome tightly hugging his arm, only making the scowl on his face grow that much deeper, "let go of her..." he growled. "NOW!"

"I didn't come here to fight, Kurosaki. you can give me a punch to the face if it makes you feel better, just hear us out." Grimmjow growled.

"please, Ichigo? it's not what you think! Grimmy promised to not start a fight"

"K-KAGOME! come on! don't call me that in front of him!" Grimmjow yelped indignantly, "it was humiliating enough in front of the mutt...gah..damnit."

"heheh, sorry, but I'm just getting my memories of you back, I'll make it up to you, I promise"

"tch, yeah, you better..." he scoffed, then shook his head with tiny smirk.

Ichigo's scowl lessened a bit at his cousin's giggling, "what's going on here, Kagome? why did you call him...er, 'grimmy'?" Ichigo faltered for a moment, very much uncomfortable with saying the petname she'd given the arrancar.

"well, I guess the short answer is he's my panther demon." she smiled sheepishly, letting go of his arm in favor of wrapping her arms around his waist.

at her words, Ichigo stood there, stunned even further. his little cousin...LOVED an arrancar?!

"look, you better get it out of your system now cause I'm not leaving unless she's leaving with me." Grimmjow scowled, wrapping his arms around her possessively.

Ichigo let out a frustrated groan, before returning to his body. "fine, but there're gonna be some rules before I can trust you with my cousin."

"Ichigo!" Kagome started to complain

"Kagome, he's tried to kill me before, AND he's an arrancar, you don't actually expect me to just, accept him like you can, do you?"

"it's ok, 'gome, he and I just have some bad history to fix. remember how much the mutt hated me? well, Kurosaki actually has a decent reason to." Grimmjow laughed. damn it was fun to mess with that mutt.

"...ok...but you two have to promise to at least TRY to get along, ok?" she sighed.

"if it means that much to ya, I'll give it a shot." Grimmjow sighed, he really didn't like the soul reaper, but his mate did, so he'd have to deal with him.

"we can't talk here, let's go to my room, it'll be better there. thanks, Uryu, I've got this, you can go back to whatever you were doing if you want."

"are you sure, Ichigo?"

"yeah, I'm sure, I can handle him." Ichigo nodded.

"...alright, just call if you need help with anything, you too, Kagome" the quincy nodded after a long pause.

"geez, I can't believe my little cousin is in love with an arrancar...just wait till Rukia and the rest of the soul society find out...they'll have my head..." Ichigo mumbled to himself. this was NOT going to be pleasant in the slightest... but Kagome was FINALLY happy, and he couldn't really take that away from her, even if it WAS with the enemy. "so how are you going to handle the other espadas? I'm sure Aizen will send some to take you back to Hueko Mundo when he realizes you aren't going back on your own." he sighed, walking upstairs to his room, with his cousin and her arrancar following behind.

"I might have to lay low for a while, or supress my spiritual pressure so the others can't find me. I'm not going back there unless I can guarantee I'll be able to come back here." Grimmjow shrugged, holding his mate close. "this is where I belong now; with my mate. I lost her once, I'm not going through that again."

"that's so sweet of you, Grimmjow..." Kagome smiled.

"alright, and how do you plan on explaining all this to the soul society? I doubt they'll be easy to convince. you ARE the enemy, afterall."

"then we'll just have to prove he isn't a threat anymore." Kagome giggled.

"I really don't like how that sounds, Kagome...what are you planning?" Grimmjow sighed. he just knew she was going to make him do something humiliating just to help prove her point.

"oh, come on, it was harder to get Inuyasha to accept you into the pack, this will be easy!"

"I doubt that, but we might as well get started..." Grimmjow groaned, sitting on the floor cross-legged, Kagome in his lap.

"I'll call Rukia, she can get in touch with Renji and have him come too. they can help with trying to smooth things over with-"

"there's no need for that, Ichigo." a female's voice came from the window as it opened to reveal Rukia.

"AH! Rukia! isn't this amazing?" Kagome beamed.

"I may not trust him, but I do trust you, Kagome, I'll call Renji, and we can talk this out. for now, just answer me one question." Rukia sighed and scowled lightly, she hadn't seen the miko smile like this since she came.

"of course! anything!"

Rukia paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "...does he REALLY make you happy?"

"yes, he does." Kagome nodded, answering without any hesitation. "he may be an arrancar now, but he's still my panther demon, that hasn't changed, and it never will, I love him so much."

"your spiritual pressure has gotten a lot stronger since I last saw you" Grimmjow smirked, pulling her closer by just a fraction. "but other than that, you haven't changed either, you're still my mate, and that will never change as long as I have something to say about it."


	4. Chapter 4

CH. 4

"yeah? oh...I've missed you so much, Grimmjow..." Kagome smiled brightly, snuggling against him as much as she could. "I knew I'd get you back someday."

there was a knock on the window, when Rukia opened it, she immediately said, "don't freak out, Renji, he's not going to attack."

"what are you-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Renji snapped when he noticed Grimmjow. out of pure instinct and reflex, he drew Zabimaru. the action, in turn, caused Kagome to bring up her barrier.

"HE'S NOT LIKE THAT ANYMORE!" she yelped, fearful over whether her barrier would actually be able to withstand an attack from the segmented zanpakuto.

"RENJI! STOP IT!" Rukia yelled, standing between him and the couple. "I JUST TOLD YOU HE'S NOT HERE TO ATTACK"

"hey, Renji!" Ichigo shouted, "calm the hell down, you really don't want to piss of my cousin."

"if you attack me, I'll consider it an attack on her too." Grimmjow snarled, tightening his hold on Kagome, and tucking his head into the crook of her neck.

Renji knew he couldn't risk hurting Kagome. "tch, why are you hiding behind her anyway?" he growled out

"HIDING?!" Grimmjow barked, he wasn't hiding at all! he was simply holding his mate in his lap.

"Renji! don't start a fight! Grimmjow, it's ok...he just doesn't understand the situation, that's all. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Kagome said in that sweet voice that he loved so much.

"damn soul reaper..." Grimmjow grumbled, pulling her in closer by a fraction. gods...she smelled wonderful, "heh, it's amazing how much of you I had forgotten about...I should never have left...I'm so sorry" he whispered guiltily. if he hadn't left to find Naraku on his own then maybe he wouldn't have been... his hollow-hole throbbed at the memory of his death. she hadn't seen it, she was left to wonder if he was ok. gah...he was such a moron! "I'm sorry...I-I should have stayed with the pride, I should have...at least taken the mutt with me...I died that night, but I had taken that damned spider with me, at least."

"Grimmjow... stop... stop, it's ok, I'm just glad you're here now, you did what you thought was best, you wanted to protect me." hot tears ran down her cheeks as she flashed back to that day in the feudal era, when the jewel shards shot from the sky and landed at her feet; already purified, and reminiscent of his demonic aura. deep down, she knew he'd died, but she just couldn't accept it. "Grimmjow...don't force yourself to relive such horrid moments of the past. you're here with me now, you still love me, and I still love you, isn't that what really matters?" she managed to turn around in his arms and press her forehead to his.

he smiled wryly, "you always know just what to say to make me feel better." he reached up to cup her face in his palm, "I'm never going to go and do something stupid like that again, I'm not ruining this second chance at a life with you."

"that's my good Grimm-kitty." Kagome whispered in his ear; his full pet-name.

he scoffed, "tch, I love you, 'gome, forever and always...you were mine in the feudal era, you're still mine now, and you'll continue to be mine through eternity." he purred, pulling her in for a quick yet passionate kiss.

"HEY! THAT'S MY COUSIN!" Ichigo yelled, brotherly instinct overtaking him for a moment.

"th-that was..." Rukia blushed slightly, she'd hadn't seen two people so in love since Kaien Shiba died. there was no faking tears like that, at least not with Kagome. she heaved a sigh, "if he really makes you this happy, Kagome, I won't try to stop it, but I can't say the same for my brother, Byakuya."

"or Head Captain Yamamoto" Renji sighed, sheathing Zabimaru. he went over to the couple and gave Grimmjow a whack to the head with his tightly clenched fist.

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Grimmjow snarled, pulling Kagome in closer. his white teeth bared angrily. "you're damn lucky I have my mate.."

"R-Renji!" Rukia gasped, wide-eyed.

Renji ignored the protests of the others around him, and squatted down in front of the arrancar, "this past year has been absolute hell for her, you know. she's been cut off from everyone in the feudal era, and to make it worse she never got to say goodbye to her own mate. you sure as hell better have a good plan for stayin' here and making sure you keep her happy. if not you'll have to deal with me and Zabimaru."

"you didn't have to hit him." Kagome glared

"I wanted to see how he'd react." Renji smirked, and Kagome a quick pat on the head. "I'm gonna go smooth things over with the soul society. hey, Rukia, why don't you come with me; try to get Captain Kuchiki on our side, it'd be easier with him backing us up."

"right." Rukia nodded, flipping open her soul pager, and began to type away as they went towards the window. "don't worry, Kagome, Renji and I will do everything we can."

"thank you, Rukia, Renji." Kagome smiled, snuggling against Grimmjow.

without another word, the two soul reapers left for the soul society.

"hey, Rukia. what are we going to tell Captain Kuchiki?" Renji asked, calling up a Senkaimon gate.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. but I know he trusts our judgement enough to at least hear us out. we'll still have to choose our words carefully." Rukia sighed, crossing her arms.

"yeah, and he'll want to go see for himself too, no doubt." he chuckled

"yes, let's just hope Ulquiorra or Aizen won't notice Grimmjow defecting from their side just yet. that could end very badly." she grimaced as they walked through the Senkaimon.

"or it'll give Grimmjow a chance to show Captain Kuchiki how serious he is about protecting Kagome" Renji shrugged. "whatever happens, we'll have to be prepared."

when they reached the soul society, they found Byakuya already standing there, waiting for them.

"Brother, we have some...interesting news to discuss with you." Rukia paused for a moment, as she decided how best to approach the situation.

"oh? what about?" the stoic captain asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"you remember Kagome Higurashi, don't you?"

"yes, she is Kurosaki's cousin, is she not?" he crossed his arms.

"that's right, the thing is...she had been quite depressed since coming to Karakura town." Rukia nodded.

"does this have anything to do with you asking Captain Kurotsuchi about 'demons'?" Byakuya sighed softly. she must have been trying to help the miko somehow.

"yes" Rukia nodded once. "there was this panther demon that she missed terribly, and just before we came here, he came back."

"so why are you telling me this?"

Renji stepped forward, "because it's an arrancar, Captain Kuchiki. Grimmjow, to be exact."

"what?" Byakuya tensed up. "what is this? how can this be? I heard she is basically a quincy! how can she love an arrancar?"

"well, apparently they had fallen in love back when he was just a demon, long before he became what we know him as. please, brother. he truly does love her, and she loves him." Rukia pleaded, bowing so deeply she was practically on her knees. "please, Brother, he means the world to Kagome. if that gets taken from her...she'll never recover! she may even resent the soul society!" tears streamed down her cheeks as she shouted.

"Rukia...calm down" Renji sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Rukia, Renji." Byakuya spoke suddenly, "answer me this and I will do what I can"

"Y-YES! o-of course, Brother." Rukia stammered. "of course, Captain, what do you want to know?" Renji asked.

"what convinced YOU." he asked looking at them

Rukia and Renji looked at each other then explained everything to Byakuya.

"I haven't seen two people so in love since Kaien Shiba died."

"hmm, I see. stay here, both of you, I will return shortly." without another word, Byakuya went to the Senkaimon gate.


	5. Chapter 5 (thank you WickedOnna)

**BIG THANKS TO** WickedOnna **FOR GIVING ME THE PERFECT IDEA TO A SCENE I WAS HAVING TROUBLES WITH! you are amazing!**

* * *

"Kurosaki." Byakuya spoke as he flash stepped into the bedroom. he took a moment to look around. it was decorated rather dully. Byakuya quickly noticed the miko and arrancar.

"tell me, miko. how can you love an arrancar?" he spoke in that bored tone of his. no point in beating around the bush.

snuggling further into the arrancar's embrace, Kagome smiled softly, "well, he wasn't an arrancar when I fell in love with him."

"does it not bother you in the slightest?"

"well, I suppose maybe on a fundamental level, but- gah! no! no! arrancar or not, Grimmjow is still the panther demon that I love!" Kagome snapped

"arrancar-" Byakuya started

"Grimmjow." Grimmjow huffed, interrupting the stoic captain.

"arrancar.." he repeated pointedly, "what exactly do you plan on achieving here? to use her powers Aizen's-"

"NO!" Grimmjow's eyes went red for a split second, as a strange sensation pulsated through him. whoa, was that his beast? haven't felt it since that day with Naraku. "no..I would rather run Aizen through my self than let him even speak to my mate, much less put his hands on her. she's mine, damnit..." he wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her against him.

"it's ok, Grimmjow...I'm right here."

"hnn, I see." Byakuya hummed contemplatively.

"please understand, Captain Kuchiki. he just gets a little over protective of me, he can't really help himself. it's just in his nature as a demon" Kagome sighed, and snuggled into the arrancar's hold. "I love him so much."

"hey, if it helps any, I can vouch for him too, and I've personally fought with the guy twice. he's definitely changed." Ichigo said, sitting backwards on his desk chair

"oh? and how is that?" Byakuya inquired.

"well, just look at 'im!" Ichigo gestured an open palm towards the couple. "would YOU believe an arrancar being so affectionate to anyone like this? even more, a human?"

"Grimmjow is much more than just an arrancar, Ichigo. he's my panther demon." Kagome smiled peacefully, nuzzling her face against Grimmjow's throat, he was so warm, and smelled so masculine. she took a deep breath, mmm, cinnamon and.. another deep breath. mint. what a sinful combination, and oh, how she adored it.

"tell me, why are you so attached to him when you insist he is a demon. you're a miko, are you not?"

"I am, and he is a demon, but just like humans, there are good and evil demons." Kagome smiled, "besides, why is him being a demon such a big deal?"

"it's not the demon part that has us on edge, Kag's. he's an arrancar now. so he's seen as the enemy." Ichigo sighed. "it's just how things are with the soul society. I know you don't like hearing this, but I have to say it anyway. he's a hollow with soul reaper powers. he has tried to kill me twice, nearly succeeded both times."

"but-" she started, but was cut-off by Grimmjow.

"no, he's right. I did try to kill him, but that was when I followed Aizen. it's gonna be tough for a while, but eventually they'll see I'm not a threat." he gave her a bright smirk. "I'm not leaving you alone this time. I'm gonna do whatever I have to do to keep us together." a sigh groan escaped him, "even if it means I have to do something stupid and pathetic."

"heheh." Kagome giggled softly, remembering how they'd convinced her mother to trust Grimmjow. he'd basically spent a day being her butler. it was amazing to watch. "maybe we could try using that to our advantage."

"tch..." he dropped his head against her shoulder, then let out a chuckle, "only for you, 'Gome."

"all I ask is that you try." she smiled. then let out a long sigh, "oh, I missed you so much, Grimmjow..."

"same here, Kitten"

her expression quickly turned to shock, and she looked around the room, meeting the gazes of both well-and-truly-stunned soul reapers present. "G-Grimmjow...I-I thought that was only for when we were alone."

"mmmm, couldn't help myself. besides, that was just because the mutt and the monk would never have stopped teased you if they heard."

she giggled softly, "yeah...Miroku would have teased you as well."

"wouldn't get very far." Grimmjow scoffed. he'd have let the monk know that teasing a demon isn't very good for your health. not that he would have actually attacked the lecher, no he'd just snitch on him to the slayer, and SHE would have hit him. a long soft chuckling escaped the arrancar as more old memories returned.

"what, pray tell, is so amusing?" Byakuya asked, growing bored with the couple ignoring him.

"just some old memories from when I was alive." Grimmjow replied, not bothering to look up.

"hmm, very well then, I will be taking my leave, I have all that I need." with that said, Byakuya was gone with a flash step.

-soul society-

Rangiku was having a happy walk towards the large Senkaimon gate. she'd managed to persuade captain Hitsugaya into giving her a pass into the living world, one of the conditions was that she would DO HER WORK without complaining once she returned and forfeit her alcohol for the day. it was worth it, she wanted to cheer up Kagome, poor thing has been so depressed. "I'll go and cheer her up!" Rangiku said determinedly.

once she had her reishi suppressor on, and traveled through the senkaimon gate, she was shocked to sense an arrancar so close to Kagome. "oh no.." the lieutenant gasped, then turned and shouted into the gate for it to stay open for a minute, as she would need a quick entry into the soul society. then flash stepped to Ichigo's house. once she got there, she looked around and quickly found the miko. oh no...she didn't have a moment to lose, Rangiku grabbed Kagome and bolted for the still-waiting senkaimon.

"H-HEY! WH-LET GO OF ME!" Kagome yelped, struggling to be free. "RANGIKU! LISTEN TO ME!"

"WHAT THE HELL?! GIVE HER BACK, DAMNIT!" Grimmjow snarled, chasing the busty lieutenant.

"I'm sorry, Kagome, but I can't do that" she shouted over the furious arrancar and ran through the gate. once she was on the other side, she yelled for assistance. "WE HAVE THE ENEMY FOLLOWING ME THROUGH THE SENKAIMON! APPREHEND HIM IMMEDIATELY"

moments later, the gate was swarmed with soul reapers. soon enough, Grimmjow burst through the gate, practically foaming with rage "WHERE'S KAGOME?!" he roared furiously.

"RETRAIN THE ARRANCAR!"

"GRIMMJOW! STOP! IT-IT'S OK!" Kagome shouted, "d-don't fight back, I'm ok. really, I'm alright"

"Kagome..." Grimmjow whispered, pausing just long enough for one of the nearby captains to cast a kido spell.

"BAKUDO 61: RIKUJOKORO!" Hitsugaya shouted, a palm held out towards the arrancar, summoning 6 beams of light to slam into him.

"GRAHH!" Grimmjow yelled, furious once more.

"RANGIKU! WHAT THE HELL?! let go of me!"

"GIVE ME MY MATE BACK!" Grimmjow snarled, glaring at Rangiku with a fiery rage.

"this is for your own good, Kagome."

"Bakudo 1: SAI!" a number of soul reapers shouted in unison. locking Grimmjow's arms behind his back as another used reishi dampening cuffs to keep his arms in place.

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?! Rangiku! what are you doing?" Ichigo yelled coming through the gate moments later.

"I only did what you should have done yourself."

"he's not a threat!" Kagome shouted, "LET GO OF ME!" she screamed, and with a burst of raw energy, she managed to be free of the lieutenant's grip. she was running towards her beloved demon when she was plucked from the ground and moved several feet away. "I SAID LET GO OF ME!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Kagome" a voice from behind her growled.

"Sh-Shuhei..." Kagome stammered. "please...he won't hut anyone."

"of course not, just look at how much kido he's bound with." Shuhei scoffed

"th-that's not what I meant! he was only trying to protect me when Rangiku suddenly appeared, grabbed me and ran off."

"don't be so foolish. he was just mad that she got in the way."

"wha-THAT IS MY MATE!" Kagome snapped. "he was just-"

"what is all this commotion?" Rukia shouted, bounding towards Shuhei and Kagome.

"Rukia! please, tell them this is all just a misunderstanding! Grimmjow isn't a threat.." big, salty tears rolled down the miko's cheeks. causing Grimmjow to let out a loud roar of fury. "LET ME OUT OF THIS! WHICH ONE OF YOUR MADE MY MATE CRY?!"

"Grimmjow. be quiet." Byakuya spoke in that ever-stoic tone of his.

Grimmjow paused for a moment, before growling, "tch..just get me out of this, I need to get to my mate."

"Shuhei!" Byakuya announced. "bring the miko over here."

"C-Captain! that's the-" Shuhei stammered, had the captain gone mad?

"that is an order, Shuhei." the tone in the ever-stoic captain's voice sent a chill down Shuhei's spine.

"y-yessir." he nodded, and reluctantly flash stepped towards the captain and arrancar.

"release her. Kagome, don't free him, this was to happen eventually, so it might as well happen now since he's been found."

"ok..j-just promise me you'll do your best to help! I can't bear lose him again" more tears streamed down her face.

"I suppose I can promise that much. I will do my best."

"thank you...oh, Grimmjow...I'm right here, I'm ok." she cupped his face in her palms. "thank you for not fighting back."

"Kagome..." he whispered, leaning his face against her wonderfully soft palms. "don't worry, I'm not going to lose you again, I promise you, I will do whatever whatever it takes to make sure you are always smiling that smile of yours that I love so much."

-an hour later-

"this is absolutely outrageous!" Head Captain Yamamoto yelled. angrily striking the floor with his large staff. the sound of it echoed through the room. all lieutenants and captains of the 13 court guard squads stood at attention, awaiting their instructions.

"if I may interject, Head Captain." Shunsui spoke up, gesturing an open palm to the heavily restrained arrancar placed in the center of the room. "but can't we at least allow Kagome to plead his case? after all, she IS the shikon miko, and she's saved the Soul Society over a dozen times!"

"that is beside the point!" Yamamoto barked

"then what IS the point, Head Captain?" Toshiro asked, crossing his arms with a gruff sigh.


	6. Chapter 6

"yeah, he didn't attack any of us. he just kept yelling at me to let go of, 'his mate'. plus he looked so calm, perhaps even HAPPY, when she had put her hands on his face" Rangiku nodded, also crossing her arms.

"SILENCE! the point is that this is the enemy! he is a hollow! nothing more nothing less!"

"so you plan to have him killed?" Byakuya asked in a bored tone.

"what other course of action is there to take, Captain Kuchiki?"

"there are plenty of other options, Head Captain." the ever-stoic captain gave a momentary sigh, "please keep in mind that the miko loves him dearly, if you go through with the execution, we very well may never be able to call upon her for aide in a time of crisis. can we really afford to take that risk? she could easily prove invaluable against Aizen, since as far as we have been able to find out, her power is on par with my own, and it grows exponentially in response to her emotions, there is no way of knowing just what her limit is without sending her into a blind rage, and that is not something I would ever suggest, as if she is provoked enough, she could even be stronger than every one of us and our bankai put together, which DOES include you, Head Captain."

Kenpachi let out a chuckle, "not only that, but it's all without the use of any sort of REAL weapon, imagine the kind of power she could weild with a bankai! oh, that'd be a HELL of a fight!" the tiny bells in his spiky hair jingled as he laughed.

"YEAH! that sounds really fun, huh, Kenny?" Yachiru beamed, looking up at the burly captain.

a long groan escaped the head captain, "fine. you have made your point, Captain Kuchiki. I will not have the arrancar executed without a fully valid reason." the room was dead silent for a few long moments before he continued, "but if not execution, how would you suggest we deal with this? we cannot allow him to be free until he has proven himself trustworthy!"

the tiniest ghost of a smirk appeared on Byakuya's face for just a moment, "train him. if he cannot abide by the rules, then he will never see his precious miko again. it's as simple as that."

"just how do we know he isn't using Kagome to Aizen's advantage?" Soi-fon grimaced, crossing her arms.

"NEVER!" the sharp sudden tone caused many to recoil.

"you can still speak, arrancar?" Yamamoto asked curiously, with that much kido keeping him immobilized, surely he wouldn't be able to speak, much less yell!

Grimmjow lifted his head and gave Yamamoto a fierce glare. "I would NEVER let Aizen have her. SHE IS MINE!" he snarled. his spiritual pressure angrily pulsated for just a moment, before fading back under the kido bonds.

"then what DO you want, arrancar?" Genryuusai took a step towards Grimmjow.

"I just want to live alongside my mate." he gave a gentle smirk. sweet memories of her flitted across his mind, quickly calming him. "maybe even raise a cub or two, tch, she's always wanted to be a mother."

the soul reapers couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"you...wh-what?!" Hitsugaya sputtered. was this really the time to be talking about having children? and why was he calling them cubs, that makes it sound so...animalistic.

"I know I don't deserve a future with Kagome, but I'll go through whatever training you want if that's what it takes. I don't care what I have to do, but I can't bear to see her cry. I had promised her that she would never again as long as I had something to say about it. I'm not going back on that promise. not now, not ever."

"even if one wrong move got you skewered like a fish?" Kenpachi gave a short scoff.

Grimmjow looked around the room, meeting everyone's gaze as he did so. "I. LOVE. HER." he announced with a tone of ultimate finality, "so I will do WHATEVER it takes, even if it means losing a limb or two, although, I'm sure she won't exactly agree to that last part."

"you...love her? how absurd, you are-" Yamamoto began

"I may be an arrancar, an espada, even, but I am still a man, a panther demon at that, and we panthers are loyal to our mates even BEYOND death."

"AH...! so YOU are why Rukia kept inquiring about demons!" Mayuri rubbed his chin excitedly. "oh, now it all makes sense...how fascinating!"

"eh? explain yourself, Kurotsuchi." Yamamoto demanded.

the deranged captain stepped forward, then circled around Grimmjow a few times, staring at him almost as if he were inspecting the demonic arrancar, "for the past year, Rukia has been regularly inquiring about the existence of demons. of course I have next to no information of them as they all seem to have died out over half a millennia ago, and even when they roamed the earth, I had no way of doing any sort of research on them. but she would often times specifically mention PANTHER demons, and state that the miko has been rather desperate to find one from her past. now, at the time, I thought it was simply some sort of delusion the miko was having. but now it all fits together so PERFECTLY! if this arrancar is indeed the panther demon that Rukia would ask about, then I would have to conclude that not only the miko's willingness to aid the soul society, but her very SANITY may very well hinge on his existence. if that is taken away..." he gave an overly dramatic shrug, "well, who knows what could become of her! it's entirely possible that she could even consider soul reapers as her enemy! if that happened, there is little to nothing that we could do to stop her! hmph, women can be very irrational when removed from what they cherish most."

"Head Captain! you can demote me however far you wish, or even banish me for reasons of insubordination, but PLEASE!" Renji stepped forward and knelt down to the floor. "Grimmjow is absolutely everything to Kagome, if for no other reason, give him a chance for her sake. I beg you, Head Captain Yamamoto. I will do WHATEVER it takes to convince you to at least give him a chance, whatever the cost, even my life if that's what it takes...I am prepared to make that sacrifice!"

"Renji... you would really put so much on the line for the enemy?" Yamamoto asked, absolutely shocked by the lieutenant's actions.

"Grimmjow is NOT the enemy, sir." he replied shaking his head. glaring at his reflection in the wooden floorboards, "in the time that Kagome has lived in Ichigo's home, she hasn't been herself in the slightest, she hardly ate, and the only sleep she got was when the sleep deprivation caught up to her, causing her to pass out from the sheer exhaustion. she looked as though she was slowly dying from the inside, and that sight will always haunt me." Renji balled up his fists, and paused for a moment to collect himself, "then, while I was finishing my patrol for the morning, I got a call from Rukia telling me to quickly go to Ichigo's home. there, I saw Grimmjow, with Kagome tightly held in his lap. out of reflex, I drew Zabimaru, I didn't trust him at the time, but Kagome put up a barrier and screamed at me that, 'he isn't like that anymore'. for the first time in SO LONG. Kagome was happy! smiling brighter than I'd EVER seen, ever heard of, and all because of an arrancar. I couldn't believe it. so I walloped him on the head" he swung a fist to help show his point. "and he didn't attack like you would expect. he simply held her close and snarled at me to get away from his mate. heh, Kagome gave me an earful as well.." Renji let out a short chuckle. "later, Grimmjow had said that an attack on him would be seen as an attack on Kagome. now, I can't speak for anyone else, but I definitely respect that. he wasn't mad for himself. no, instead, he was simply being protective of the miko that he loved. so, please, Head Captain Yamamoto, at least give him a chance!"

"hmm... well, what do you have to say for yourself, arrancar?"

"I will do whatever it takes to keep Kagome at my side..." Grimmjow sighed, staring at the floor beneath him. "there's nothing else TO SAY."


	7. Chapter 7

"would you be willing to have a number of Gentei Reiin's placed on you?" Toshiro asked taking a small step forward. "they will limit your available spiritual pressure considerably"

Grimmjow's response was instantaneous, "go ahead!" damn...he starting to antsy without his mate around. she was probably a nervous wreck waiting for to his fate to be decided.

"hey...what's with that look?" Shunsui asked, "almost as if you have something to say."

"I'm...just worried about my mate." Grimmjow took a moment to look over his shoulder towards the big doors that separated him from his beloved miko.

"THAT is where your concern lies?! not with preserving your own existence?!" Yamamoto hollered irritably.

"can't help it. damn, Kurosaki better be keeping an eye on her...she's so sensitive, and she can be so clumsy.."

the room was utterly silent once more, and continued on for what felt like hours before the old man dropped his head slightly with an irritated groan. "fine, but you will be in responsible for him, Byakuya, you too, Renji. if something goes wrong, you two WILL be severely reprimanded and punished, understood?"

"Y-YES! of course, thank you, Head Captain!" Renji beamed, scrambling to his feet.

"hnn, completely." Byakuya nodded, feeling rather pleased with how everything played out. hmph, Rukia will be thrilled to hear the news, as will the miko.

"very well, the arrancar is hereby released into your custody, Byakuya. everyone is dismissed." the loud clack of his staff striking against the floorboards resonated through the room with the same sense of absolute authority as a judge's gavel.

the ever-large doors groaned as they were pulled open. on the other side, the small miko stood, looking beyond petrified of what the news would be. she couldn't bear to lose her Grimmjow again. not again, and certainly not like this...

Renji came jogging over to her. with a palm slapped onto her shoulder and a bright-as-the-sun smirk on his face, he said, "Captain Kuchiki really helped to sway the verdict! he'll have to work hard, but with time, he'll be cleared to go back to the world of the living with you. I'll do my best to make sure it goes smoothly."

"hmph, you owe me, Renji, and tell Rukia the same. now come along, Grimmjow. we need to put your reishi suppressants on." Byakuya said, swiping a palm across the arrancar's form, removing the numerous kido bindings, and leaving only the thick metal cuffs binding his wrists behind his back.

"yeah." he said, hopping to his feet, and flashing the miko a fanged smirk. "can't get rid of me this easily, 'gome."

"oh, Grimmjow...like I'd ever want to." she gave a soft laugh. thank the gods he was ok.. "thank you, Renji. thank you, Captain Kuchiki..." she bowed deeply for the stoic captain. he reminded her of Sesshomaru in so many ways.

"he will be staying at the Kuchiki manor until he is deemed safe to return to the world of the living."

she couldn't stop the bright smile from forming, "yes, again, thank you. I-I really owe you one for this."

"hmm, I will keep that in mind." without another word, Byakuya strode off, Grimmjow following closely behind him.

"oh...oh, my god... I thought my heart was going to stop when those doors opened." Kagome laughed weakly, feeling emotionally drained. "Renji...thank you.." her form swayed and she stumbled into Renji's arms, "I won't lose him..." she gave a heavy sigh of relief."oh, I finally have my panther back..."

"I'm sure Captain Kuchiki won't mind you staying at the manor while Grimmjow does his training."

"yeah? that's amazing news.." with one more heavy sigh, her eyes fluttered shut as much-needed sleep overtook the tiny miko.

"rest up, Kagome. you deserve it." Renji chuckled, gathering her up in his arms and carrying her to the kuchiki manor. Rukia would probably request to have the miko stay with her room, and have Grimmjow in the next room over if possible.

-the next day-

"nngh...ah! G-Grimmjow!" Kagome shouted, and bolted upright. where was he?! was he ok?! was the trial over?

"hey, calm down, Kagome, it's alright. the trial was yesterday, my brother and Renji are in charge of training Grimmjow. remember? he's ok." Rukia spoke softly, running her palm up and down the miko's back.

"r-right...sorry, I-" a large tongue-curling yawn interrupted her, "heh, how long was I out?"

"almost a full day. it's already in the afternoon. you've missed breakfast and just missed lunch." Rukia laughed a little, "you can go back to sleep, no one will blame you, after-all you've haven't gotten proper in quite a long time."

"yeah...I-I probably should go back to sleep, but, I-..I need to see him. I-I just need to know for absolute certain it was just a silly nightmare.." Kagome spoke, sounding a little out of breath.

"alright, but then right back here for more rest." Rukia nodded, her tone absolute.

"yeah. I wouldn't want to interrupt or distract Grimmjow from his training, I just won't be able to go back to sleep until I see him, that's all."

"alright. here, I'll help you up." Rukia held out a hand for the petite miko.

"again." Byakuya's stoic tone rang out as the two females entered the Kuchiki dojo. "again."

"I'm trying, damnit.." the arrancar gave a low growl.

"try HARDER, if you cannot master even a SINGLE kido then you will never be cleared to return to the world of the living. you MUST. TRAIN. _HARDER_. except for Bakudo number 1, all of these spells have been picked out specifically to help you defend the miko. if you are discovered by Aizen, SHE WILL be taken as bait for you and perhaps even Kurosaki as well as others. you MUST NEVER let that happen."

"I know that damnit!" Grimmjow snapped, baring his fangs, "Bakudo number 1: **Sai**!" with a blast of light erupting from his outstretched palms, the test dummy in front of him was slammed into the wall behind it, then bounced off, leaving a small crack in its place. he took a step back and gave a small scoff, "well, that wasn't so hard!"

"hmph, the miko is just like that, her strength comes from raw emotions." Byakuya spoke, crossing his arms. "now, do it again. this time try to not damage the walls..."

"u-uhm...e-excuse me..." Kagome stammered. "if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to see Grimmjow for just a moment or two."

"she has been getting rest, but a nightmare woke her up, and she can't go back to sleep without speaking with him. it really will only take but a few moments, brother."

"hnn, alright then, I suppose that is acceptable." besides, having some praise from the miko might even help his training! perhaps a reward system would be even more beneficial. if he does well, he'll be given some extra time to spend with the miko, of course either himself, Rukia, or Renji must be present during those times, but Byakuya doubted there would be any true objections to that, at least, not from the couple.

"I saw you using kido! that was _**amazing**_!" Kagome beamed, throwing her arms around his neck.

"yeah?" Grimmjow gave a short chuckle, gods, he loved this woman.. "I missed moments like this. just having you in my arms.."

"I know..." Kagome giggled softly. "I-my nightmare...it was about the trial, I-I just had see you to make sure it was just a silly nightmare."

"tch, of course it was. I'm right here, Kuchiki ain't goin' easy on me by any means, but I can hold my own against him. you forget I have Pantera, these guys aren't the only ones with a...a, _bankai_ , I think they called it."

"heh, I'm sure Kenpachi would love to go up against you and Pantera." Kagome let out a soft giggle, she nuzzled her face into his chest, "after you're cleared to return to Karakura, I'll make you whatever you want"

"tch" Grimmjow scoffed, then leaned in close and whispered, "didn't think you could be so bold, Kitten, offering me _that_ in front of others."

Kagome froze, and began to sputter, "EH?! G-GRIMMJOW! I-I meant FOOD! I didn't mean...-" she blushed bright red. "GAH! you're impossible!" she hid her face in his chest, "b-besides, that was...i-implied with the food..." she added with a mumble.

"oh, you look so adorable like that, Kitten..." he snickered.

"s-shut up, you..." Kagome laughed, and gave him a playful punch.

Grimmjow gave a deep reverberating laugh, "I'll check on you before I turn in for the night, I promise. I mean, if it's fine by you." he looked over his shoulder towards Byakuya.

"as long as Rukia is in the room with her, then it is fine." Byakuya sighed.


	8. Chapter 8

"see? it's going to work out just fine, Kitten. I'm going to be even better than these soul reapers at this kido stuff when I'm done training. then I'll get even stronger, and I'll take down Aizen by myself if I have-"

"no! n-..no..not alone. after what happened with Naraku, just-...at least take SOMEONE with you! please..I can't bear to lose you again. because this time...you'd be gone for good..a-and I just can't handle that." Kagome begged, gripping onto his haori with tightly clenched fists.

"alright, alright...when it comes time to finish things with Aizen, I'll at least take Kurosaki with me. feel better now, Kitten?"

"uh huh.." she nodded against him. "I love you, Grimmjow."

"tch, I love you too, Kitten. I love you too." he pulled her in close for a searing kiss that effectively turned her legs to jelly.

"ahh..my wonderful panther, Grimmjow. thank you.." she was a little dazed, but very content.

"I trust that has been sufficient time, back to kido." Byakuya spoke up in that ever-bored tone of his.

"right." with a toothy grin, Grimmjow leaned in and stole a quick, yet just as searing, kiss from Kagome. "now off too sleep with you." he teased.

"hmm, alright." Kagome nodded, still looking ever-so-slightly dazed. she'd forgotten how incredible he was. giving a sleepy wave, and, with Rukia's occasional help, she made it back to bed, where she quickly fell asleep.

after a while, Kagome felt a soft warm pressure on her lips, and an even warmer pressure on her cheek.

"hey. Kitten." came a masculine voice that she loved so very dearly.

slowly, her eyes fluttered open, "hhmm?" she groggily wondered.

"see? I told ya I'd check in on ya before I went to bed." that same voice chuckled. as her eyes finally managed to focus on the blurry blue figure, she realized it was her beloved Grimmjow.

"hey..." she smiled a bright sleepy smile. "I was just dreaming about you..."

"yeah? what about?"

"something similar to that day we first met."

"yeah...I remember that day. I gotta say, that's one of my favorite memories, at least, that's unless I have even better ones still locked away." he gave her a gentle loving smile. this little miko was his everything. he leaned in for another soft kiss.

"mmm.." Kagome hummed appreciatively. "I don't suppose you're allowed to sleep in here, are you?"

"well, Kuchiki never said I WASN'T allowed, so the way I see it, as long as she don't mind, it's fine." he nodded towards Rukia, who'd been woken up by their conversation, and was silently watching.

instantly, Kagome turned to look over towards the dark haired soul reaper. "oh, can he, Rukia? pleeeaassse?" she begged with her best puppy dog eyes

the reaper sighed, "just for tonight, I will speak with my brother to see if it can be earned if training goes well enough for his liking"

"ah! thank you!" Kagome's smile was bright as the sun itself, which helped Rukia feel a bit more justified in her walking along the gray area of her brother's rules in terms of what the arrancar was allowed to do. "just make sure you're up early enough for tomorrow's training. my brother hates be kept waiting." she added.

"right." Grimmjow nodded as he laid down next to his mate. oh...how he'd missed this..sleeping with her held tight in his arms, her addicting fruity scent swirling around him like a cocoon.

"I'll do my best to help make sure you're up in time, I'm usually up at sunrise, is that early enough?" Kagome asked hopefully

"oh yes, that's good, my brother's morning tea should give you enough time to be ready." Rukia nodded with a soft smile. they really were an adorable couple, and Kagome was truly happy once again.

"oh...I'd missed this so much..." Kagome groaned blissfully.

"yeah, I have too." he pulled her in close, and took the time to savor the taste of her lips. when they parted, Kagome let out a long sigh and snuggled against him, quickly falling back asleep. it was the best sleep she'd gotten since she first lost her beloved panther.

when sunrise came, Kagome groaned softly, nuzzling against her amazingly warm pillow, "augh...I haven't slept so well, not since...th-THAT DAY." her smile faltered. but quickly returned when her pillow gave a soft purr-like growl.

"mmmm, morning, Kitten."

"morning, Grimm-kitty" she replied, her smile now back full-force. she'd never get tired of hearing that nickname he'd chosen for her.

he released her just long enough to stretch his limbs, then gave a cat-like tongue curling yawn afterwards.

she couldn't help herself, and began giggling softly. it was just TOO ADORABLE. the only way it could be any cuter is if he was in his adjuchas form; an armour plated jaguar.

"eh? just what do you think you're giggling at, woman?" he smirked broadly. show-casing his sharp fangs

"when you yawned, you looked just like a cat, heheheh, I was just thinking that the only way you could have looked any more adorable is if you were in your...ad-ad...juchas? I think that's what you called it, right? it-it was the jaguar one."

"yeah, that's right. the other one is a ressurección, the monk would sometimes call me pantera grimmjow when I was in it. whatever works, I guess."

"I like pantera, it's easier to say for one thing."

"maybe I'll get to fight with Kuchiki using Pantera"

"just don't get too carried away like you did with Inuyasha, AND with Sesshomaru."

"heh, come on, Kitten. I'm sure Kuchiki can handle himself a lot better than the mutt could, hell, his brother certainly could hold his own. that guy could FIGHT, he definitely fit the title of killing perfection, I'll tell ya that."

"uh...p-pardon my interruption" Rukia spoke up, "but do you mean that pantera is your version of bankai?"

"...yeah, you could say that" Grimmjow nodded after pondering for a moment.

"then you don't have to worry, Kagome, my brother has his own bankai, so he can DEFINITELY handle Grimmjow." Rukia nodded with conviction.

"ah! oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to sound like I was doubting your brother's strength, it's just that I've actually seen Grimmjow's for myself, so I-" Kagome gasped.

"Kagome...! it's alright, I know you meant well, really, no harm done" Rukia smiled. "to be honest, I'm just glad to finally see you smiling again. I was really getting worried about you."

Grimmjow let out a scoff, "I suppose it's all thanks to that quincy."

"huh? thanks to Uryu?" Rukia was confused. "what do you mean?"

"if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have gotten my memories back."

"yeah, then you triggered mine. oh, I haven't been this happy in so long" Kagome hummed, nuzzling against Grimmjow.

Rukia was already dying to know, "I'd really like to hear about it, if you don't mind."

the couple looked at each other, silently asking where to start. Kagome spoke first. "well...the day you found out about Grimmjow being my panter, I had felt a massive pulse of demonic energy, and I had to go see if it meant my panther was in Karakura."

Grimmjow nodded, "that must have been when the Garganta opened up for Ulquiorra and me. yeah, I hadn't been sleepin' too well, so Aizen told me to join the bat on one of his visits here, since he always came across Kurosaki, he figured that a good fight would help. so I came here, and started to wander the streets, I could feel this oddly familiar spiritual pressure, and I wanted to see what was causing it."

"I was following the demonic energy, when I saw him round the corner. heh, the first thing I noticed about him, was his bright blue hair."

he let out a barking laugh, "first thing I noticed when I actually saw you was how blue your eyes are. they felt SO DAMN FAMILIAR, but I just couldn't figure out why. it was just a human with strong spiritual pressure and bright blue eyes, and yet, I couldn't look away from her. then I hear the quincy yelling at her."

"just like Inuyasha always would. heheh, yeah, it was one thing or another with that guy." she finished his sentence.

"yeah, and right there, everything came back to me all at once, and right then, right there, I knew. you weren't just SOME HUMAN, you were MY human." Grimmjow pulled her in tight for a moment.

"yeah, and I saw it in him, I knew he recognized me. yet I still had no idea why he was so familiar."

"and the quincy started yelling at me to get away from her, and had that damned bow of his pointed at me. so I wrapped my arms around her." he smirked broadly, pulling her in close, and tucking his head into the crook of her neck, "and I said."

"don't keep your king waiting, little miko" the two spoke in perfect sync.

"just like you always would." Kagome giggled.


	9. Chapter 9

"and that triggered my memories, I was so happy to have my panther back that I didn't even notice Uryu yelling at us, until Grimmjow mentioned it to me."

"you just about had to yell at the guy to get him to put down that bow of his."

"he can be a little stubborn. hey, you remember how we had convinced my mom to trust you way back?"

a long groan escaped the arrancar. "geez, how could I forget that? I had to 'play butler' all damn day."

"hey, in her defense she'd only met Inuyasha before, she wasn't nearly as used to demons as me."

"yeah, yeah." Grimmjow scoffed, "at least your grandpa stopped throwing those stupid sutras at me, I guess he eventually realized they did nothing."

"he did the same thing with Inuyasha when he first met him."

"yeah, the mutt had asked me about it when we returned to the feudal era, I remember that."

it was amazing, watching the couple talk about such silly memories.

"uh..excuse me, but I thought you had said only Inuyasha could come to this time era." Rukia asked.

"yeah, it'd only work if Grimmjow was holding onto me."

there was a knock on the wooden frame of the shoji door. "Grimmjow, it's time to begin the day's training."

"ah! I'm so sorry, brother!" Rukia gasped, she hadn't realized how long they'd been talking! "we were talking, and lost track of time."

"it is alright, Rukia. I was up earlier than I'd anticipated. get dressed and meet me outside the manor."

"yeah, sure.." the arrancar grumbled. "I'll see you later, Kitten."

"we'll come by at lunch time, so make sure to have some progress to impress Kagome with." Rukia added with a smile, hoping to encourage Grimmjow.

"heh, I'm gonna kiss ass today!" Grimmjow flexed his left arm, pulling a giggle from his mate.

"hmm, I overheard you have a bankai."

"yeah, all the arrancars do. but we call it ressureccíon, not bankai."

"interesting, Mayuri would love to question you about the others still following Aizen."

"brother! C-Captain Kuchiki!" the two women exclaimed, knowing how the delusional Mayuri could get, especially when he got excited.

"don't worry, I'll have Renji go along, just to make sure Mayuri does not get ahead of himself."

"well...i-if there's someone with him, then I guess I don't mind... just promise me you won't cause too much of a commotion, Grimmjow, the soul reapers are still wary of you being an arrancar. please be careful." Kagome spoke worriedly.

"yes, if a fight breaks out, it could be seen as an attack. Captain kurotsuchi can certainly be...overwhelming, so try to hold back." Rukia agreed with a nod.

"geez...the guys almost sounds like he's out of his mind."

"...well...to be honest, sometimes I wonder the same thing." Rukia shrugged

"don't worry, babe, I'll behave myself." he patted her on the head then stood up to get ready for the day.

"good luck!" Kagome called out to him.

"I'll see you when it's tie for lunch, Kitten." he smirked, and with that, he was out of sight.

"geez...I can't believe he's going to be questioned by Captain Kurotsuchi...I'm just glad Renji will be there to keep both of them in check. Grimmjow can get really protective. I think everything will go fine as long as no one says anything rude about me, he can be REALLY protective. remember what he said to Renji?"

"oh yeah... 'an attack on me is an attack on her, one that's unforgivable'. yeah, I remember."

"he's always been like that since we met, well. it became MUCH MORE pronounced after we mated, but he was always very protective, that's just his nature as a demon. b-but don't misunderstand me! there were A LOT of evil demons. heh, and I was just about always getting captured by them when he came along." Kagome laughed.

"so, how exactly did you two meet? I'd love to hear the story of it!"

"sure, let's go for a walk through the gardens too." with a nod, Rukia lead Kagome out to the Kuchiki gardens. "oh, wow!" the miko exclaimed. "it's absolutely beautiful out here!" she took a deep breath, ah...such crisp clean air... "the air here is so clean...like it was in the feudal era..." the two girls made it to a clearing, and sat down on the thick soft grass. "it was just like every other night when I met Grimmjow for the first time. he was in his adjuchas form. he walked into camp while Inuyasha was away with Kikyo. huh...I forgot I met him at night...I always thought it was during the day..wow, I guess my memories of Grimmjow really were supressed. -er..a-anyway...we saw this armor plated panther walking into camp. Sango and Miroku jumped up and ran to my sides; Sango on my left, Miroku on my right. no one knew what this demon wanted, or if he was with working with Naraku."

"so what happened?" Rukia was absolutely hooked on every word Kagome spoke.

"well, he just walked into camp and sat down next to the fire. then he looked up at us, and growled, I'll never again forget those eyes of his...such a magnificent crystal blue, even in that panther form. then he spoke"

"I ain't here for a fight, calm down. geez..already had enough of that for today.." he growled, looking almost defensive.

"ah! y-you're hurt!" Kagome shouted, noticing the blood contrasting with his armor-like fur.

"Kagome! stop! we still don't know if he's with Naraku."

"Naraku..." the panther demon snarled, fully baring his fangs. "if I see that spider again, I'll rip his damn head off."

"what'd he do to you?" Kagome asked softly.

"he's a coward.. bastard snuck up behind me, didn't even sense him until he was right on top of me. then the bastard says he's taking control of my territory! bastard...I worked hard for that area." his claws dug into the earth, and a nasty snarl escaped him.

"c-can I ask you your name?" Kagome stammered,

"Grimmjow. you?"

"Kagome.." her heart began to race.

"oh boy.." Shippo groaned,

"eh? what's wrong, Shippo?" Miroku asked the kit.

"I can hear Inuyasha coming, and he sounds-"

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha yelled, bursting through the tree-line along the edge of their camp. "I smelled blood, what hap-"

"Inuyasha..." Kagome warned. "don't you even think about attacking Grimmjow. he was ambused by Naraku in his own territory."

"he could be-" he snapped, crossing his arms.

"he wasn't lying, Inuyasha" Shippo interrupted, "he hates Naraku just as much as the rest of us."

"and he's hurt!"

"fine, but how do you know he isn't planning on taking your jewel shards after you all fall asleep?"

"you mean, after you leave them all defenseless?" Grimjow scoffed, glaring at Inuyasha. "how can you do that? with you dogs, it's all about protecting your pack! yet you had left yours defenseless. if this was my pride, I wouldn't let them out of my sight unless I knew for an ABSOLUTE FACT that they were safe!"

"...he does have a point." Sango deadpanned.

"th-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Inuyasha took a step towards Grimmjow, but recoiled when Kagome's glare hardened. he really didn't want to get sat again..

"Inuyasha! he's right, and you know it! we all saw Kikyo's soul collectors.

"and don't try to say you were patrolling around the camp. I didn't sense you anywhere near this group."

"why you-"

"INUYASHA!" Kagome snapped when he took another angry step closer to her and the panther demon sitting behind her. "don't make me say it. you know I will." at her clear threat, he took a step back, then turned and stalked off to a tree at the edge of the camp. "tch, don't think you're in the clear, cat."

"wow, didn't realize this pack had a female alpha. that's a rare sight." Grimmjow chuckled, but grimmaced as it stressed his wound.


	10. Chapter 10

"e-eh?! I-I'm not a-" Kagome stammered, blushing

"oh, come on, Kagome..everyone knows you're the only one Inuyasha will listen to." Sango said.

"Sango's right, Lady Kagome. everyone who has met him knows how stubborn Inuyasha is, if it wasn't for you and those beads, then no one would able to get him to listen." Miroku added.

"yeah! mama, you're super cool! I love you so much!"

"oh, Shippo...my sweet baby boy..." Kagome cooed, hugging the small kit.

seeing an opportunity to earn some points with the miko, Grimmjow called out to Shippo, "hey, Kid."

"Shippo! my name's Shippo!" the kit said proudly.

"Shippo..right. I've heard foxes have some cool magic, wanna show me some?" he laid down, resting his injured torso.

"y-yeah?" Shippo looked absolutely starstruck

"yeah, you look strong enough to know some good spells" Grimmjow looked the kit up and down. he was small, but he did have strong youki for his size.

"can I mama?" Shippo looked at Kagome with hope sparkling in his eyes.

"ok, but only a little, I don't want to attract any unwanted attention from outside the camp"

"YAY! ok, look at this! mmm, FOXFIRE!" Shippo shouted, holding out his hand, a blast of blue fire shot out from his tiny palm and scorched a small isolated patch of grass.

Grimmjow sat up, "wow! I'd better be careful not to cross you, little man, I might get burned alive." he reached out and gave shippo a pat on the head with his paw, "you're a good kid."

"yeah! I help mama lots and lots!" Shippo beamed.

"are you a father, Grimmjow? or are you just good with kids?" Kagome smiled,

"no, haven't found the right woman to make mine." he shrugged.

"well, you're welcome to stay with us if you want."

"OI! the hell he is! having the flea bag runnin' around callin' you HIS WOMAN is bad enough, I ain't letting some...CAT in with us!"

"I'm not just SOME CAT. I've been getting stronger on my own since I was strong enough to fight. tch, and from the looks of it, you've got another couple hundred years before you're at my level." he scratched the fur behind his ear with his hind paw for a moment.

"what was that, you-"

"SIT BOY!"

"GYAAH! ...urgh. he's...still not joining us, heal 'im up, and send him on his way. that's it."

"pardon the interruption, but what do you mean, 'on your level'?" Miroku asked, curiously.

"I'll show ya after my wound closes, it's smaller in this form, so it'll heal faster, urgh..damn, I'd have healed already using pantera, but I don't have the power to release. what a pain.. at least I have this little man to keep me company."

"why don't we go inside so I can get a look at your wounds without Inuyasha bothering you?"

"are you sure you want to use your supplies on me? with a group as big as yours, you shouldn't be wasting it." good bandages and herbs were hard to get, he didn't want her to use them on him when he'd just heal in a few days.

"if it gets used up, then mama will just go home for a bit and refill her bag!" Shippo said, smiling broadly. he then leaned in and sniffed the air around Grimmjow, and grimmaced, "ooh.. you're going to need the burny stuff...an-anti-...antise-...what's it called again, mama?"

"antiseptic?"

"yeah! that stuff! it smells infected, and..." he gave a few more sniffs, "I think there might be some of Naraku's miasma making it worse..." he gave the panther a pat on the hind leg, "don't worry, mama can fix this! she's got super good medicine!"

"would you like to help me, Shippo? I could really use it."

"yeah! I'll do my very best to help!" Shippo jumped up to her shoulder then nuzzled against her chin, "you can count on me, mama!"

"don't you worry, Grimmjow, between Shippo and I we'll have you good as new!"

"you sure? I've survived worse than this, I just need a few days and I'll be fine."

"just let 'em heal ya, Kagome's too stubborn to not help someone if she has the stuff" Inuyasha grumbled, "besides, the faster you're fixed, the sooner you can leave."

"please? I want to help however I can." her eyes prickled withh tears, she hated to see others in pain.

"fine, just don't cry.." Grimmjow sighed, and followed her inside the hut. "really, you shouldn't waste your supplies on me. good stuff is hard to come by."

"I'm not hearing any of that. if I run out, I can easily get more, don't worry."

"you're pretty stubborn" he scoffed.

"I could say the same to you." Kagome giggled softly.

she spent the better part of two hours patching up the panther demon's wounds.

"phew..." she breathed, wiping the sweat beading at her forehead. "I was beginning to think that miasma would never dissipate..."

"yeah, but I'm pretty sure it's completely gone now, and the infection is already starting to smell better too!"

"good, I don't have any more antiseptic left, I'll have to go get more on my next trip home. I doubt I'll have enough bandages, if Inuyasha nearly gets himself killed again before then."

"this stuff really helps? I've never seen wrapping like this before..."

"it's super cool, isn't it?" Shippo beamed. he was so proud of how much he was able to help.

"don't worry, you'll be good as new in no time!" Kagome smiled brightly. causing Grimmjow's heart to skip a beat.

why had she been so determined to help him? he could have wanted to take their jewel shards...and that smile, oh, she could certainly get her way simply by flashing it.. 'I can't believe how nice she is..' he thought to himself, stunned, he finally took the time to really look at her. she was beautiful...ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. 'she'd make a wonder mother, don't you think?' his beast chuckled, soaking in her features. "-mjow?" he brokenly heard his name, and felt her palm press against his forehead, "are you ok? you were just...staring blankly."

"er-.." he recoiled a bit, feeling startled, "lost in thought." out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shippo smirking for a moment, damn, the kit must have caught on.

"I was asking if you had anyone in your pa-"

"heh, dogs have packs, for us panthers, it's called a pride." he chuckled.

"r-right, yeah. you'd mentioned that before, a pride."

"yeah, that damn spider must have known he'd lose in a real fight against me and my pride. cowardly bastard..."

"you had mentioned another form that can heal faster" Shippo spoke up.

"yeah, I have three different forms." he crossed his front paws. "after I'm healed up, I'll show 'em to ya."

"ok!" Shippo beamed.

the day passed by relatively smooth, Inuyasha hadn't poked his head into the hut to harass the injured panther, Shippo had left to go play with Kirara a little while after Kagome finished.

Grimmjow was happily asleep, his head on Kagome's lap, she smelled amazing.

her hand gently stroked the fur along his back, it felt so soft and silky..! 'I...could really get used to this...it's so nice having Grimmjow around, he's very sweet. I wonder what his other forms look like.' giving off a pleased purr, Grimmjow nuzzled his face further into her lap, what a perfectly soft pillow...

"heh, you're so much more pleasant to be around than Inuyasha. he would NEVER be this affectionate. well, for Kikyo, probably...but, definitely not with me. I guess I'm just not good enough..ugh, I'm so plain, while Kikyo is-"

"that idiot is blind if he can't see how beautiful you are. hmm, not to mention how amazing you smell, and how soft your lap is...perfect for napping..." to help prove his point he snuggled that much further into her lap, and couldn't help the feather light groan of satisfaction, it was absolutely perfect... "I could sleep like this every night and never get tired of it.." he mumbled, and drifted back into the world of dreams, feeling very content.

'that idiot is blind if he can't see how beautiful you are.' his words echoed and bounced around her head, filling her with a light fuzziness, no one had complimented her like that before. this demon certainly was charming. as far as Kagome cared, Grimmjow was free to join their group right now if he wanted to, of course Inuyasha would be against it, but that didn't matter in the slightest.

soon enough, Kagome managed to rearrange them so that she could rest as well. he was incredibly warm. "goodnight, Grimmjow..." she whispered as sleep overtook her.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N sorry for the long wait, hope you enjoy

when morning came, the hut was bathed in sunlight, awaking Grimmjow. he yawned a massive tongue curling yawn, and stretched a bit, damn...he hadn't slept that well in a long time, he looked at the miko, she looked so peaceful. she groaned a small bit, and pulled him in closer, "g'immjahwl..." she mumbled, nuzzling her face into his fur. that...almost sounded like a failed attempt at his name! well, she was pretty damn cute. so he would let her happily rest for a while lo-

"OI! YOU'VE SLEPT LONG ENOUGH!" the crass hanyou shouted, as he came into the hut, startling the miko awake.

"WHA?! IS THERE A-" she yelped, sitting up, then stopped panicking once she saw it was just Inuyasha, "...god...sit boy."

THWAP!

"GYAH!" Inuyasha yelped as the beads around his neck pulled him towards the flooring sharply. "what the hell was that for?!"

"you scared me half to death!" she snapped, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "I should have known he wouldn't let me sleep in for any amount of time..." she fully released Grimmjow so she could stretch her limbs out. her frame shook and a tiny little squeal escaped her for a moment, causing her to instantly clap her hands over her mouth, oh god...did she just...SQUEAL from stretching?! oh, how mortifying...

merciful gods above...that was the most adorable sound Grimmjow had ever heard.

"the hell was that?" Inuyasha asked, "you sit on a rat or somethin'?"

Kagome's face turned bright red, "I-Inuyasha! you..-SIT! SIT SIT SIT!" she yelled.

THWAP! THWAP-THWAP-THWAP!

the beads around his neck glowed pink, and slammed his face into the flooring, then pulled him further each time she spoke the enchantment word.

"you shouldn't embarrass her like that." Grimmjow growled, he wanted to add in that he had found the noise absolutely adorable, but that would probably only make her that much more flustered, so he held back from making the comment. 'I'm going to enjoy my time around this miko.' he thought happily.

deciding to just ignore the hanyou, Kagome sat up, "let's get a look at your wounds, and see if I need to change your bandages, ok, Grimmjow?"

"yeah, sure." Grimmjow sat up so she could inspect his side.

"grah..damn cat.." Inuyasha grumbled.

"you better not be saying anything rude about Grimmjow, Inuyasha." Kagome warned the hanyou.

"I didn't say nothin'! gah..I'm gonna get some fresh air.." he grumbled, and stormed out of the hut.

"geez...it's one thing or another with him.." Kagome sighed.

"then why do you stay with him? he's clearly not helpful, nor proper alpha material"

"yeah...but-he's strong in a fight, and he does protect us when it comes down to it..he's just a pain in the ass when he's not fighting with someone else, I guess. he had a rough childhood, so I-"

"that's no excuse for being rude to an alpha, regardless of who that alpha is, female, male, demon, or human! you have to respect and follow your alpha without question."

"hmm, believe what you want, but do as you're told. heh" she saw that in a move once.

"exactly, tch, you don't see intelligent humans very often. education is expensive, only the highest class can afford it."

'expensive education...you can say that again...geez. if I ever get into college, I'll be paying off those loans till I'm old and grey!' Kagome let out a soft giggle, "Inuyasha is always complaining about my studying, he says it's a waste of time."

"tch, sounds like his type, all fight and no thought."

Kagome burst into giggles, "that's him exactly!"

her laugh was absolutely adorable. and she looked positively stunning with such a happy look. his heart skipped a few beats. she was amazing... 'she'd make for the PERFECT mate..' his beast smirked, Grimmjow found he agreed completely. she was amazing..

over the next couple days Grimmjow's wounds healed, and closed up.

the sun had long since set, dinner eaten, and everyone, save one, asleep. Grimmjow sat on a large stump, surveying the outskirts of their campsite, looking for potential danger. "Grimmjow...? urfh..you can't guard us in your condition, you need to sleep." Kagome yawned. she'd woken up and realized he wasn't with her.

he didn't even spare a glance at her, he couldn't, as he knew it would only lead to him staring, she was just so amazingly beautiful... "someone has to, and that dog ran off soon after you all fell asleep. tch, alpha, my ass..." a menacing growl escaped the panther.

"...he's with Kikyo again." her voice was small, and pained.

there was a long silence, before Grimmjow spoke up, "...if you don't mind me asking, who is this, 'Kikyo'? if she's not in this 'pack', then he shouldn't be running off to her every night. some alpha..."

"she was his first love. ...they were going to be married, and he was going to become human for her...but then Naraku tricked them...Inuyasha was pinned to the Goshinboku, and Kikyo died, she had the shikon jewel burned with her."

"wait- she DIED?! then-.." he was shocked, was the dog just still mourning her death or something?

"a witch brought her back from the dead, and she feeds off the souls of the departed to stay alive." Kagome brought a fist up to her heart. "but she's not whole...I-I'm her reincarnation..she has half of my soul, and she's tried to take the rest of it..."

"geez...that's loyalty, I'll give him that much, but it's loyalty in the wrong place. he should be here...but don't worry, no matter what happens, now or in the future, you and the others," he nodded towards camp, referring to Shippo, Miroku, and Sango. "will always be welcome in my pride."

"th-thank you, Grimmjow. that...means a lot to me." Kagome sat down next to Grimmjow, and snuggled into his fur, it may look like armor plating, but it felt so gloriously soft!

"yeah...uh, thanks for sharing all that, I know it couldn't have been easy for you to talk about."

"it's ok..it's good to talk about things, instead of keeping them bottled up, where they can only fester..."

"why do you let him hurt you like that? you obviously care a lot about the guy, won't don't you just tell him?"

"e-eh?! I-I don't-..I'm not-..I mean...I-" she turned and buried her face into his soft fur.

"alright, I won't push it. why don't you go back inside and get some sleep? as a demon I don't need nearly as much as you humans do."

"b-but what if-"

"I'm practically all healed up, I can take whatever small fry tries to come in here and steal you away." the gentle breeze carried her scent to him, it was amazing as ever. he could definitely see himself falling for her.

"well, too bad. I'm not going inside unless you're coming in with me." she smiled softly against his side, he was SO WARM AND SOFT! she could really get used to this...she certainly hoped he planned to stay long after he was done healing. she...SHE WASN'T IN LOVE OR ANYTHING! no, definitely not, with Naraku and jewel shards to find, and school in her time to get through, she didn't have time for romance... although...if she was going to be fall for someone...n-no! no! she couldn't, he wasn't even...-

"-ome? hello..? Kagome?"

"EEP!" she yelped, jumping, and grabbing onto him. "G-Grimmjow! don't startle me like that!"

a deep rumbling laugh escaped the panther demon, "sorry, Princess, I didn't mean to scare ya, you were just staring off into the tree line in a daze, for a second I thought you'd fallen asleep on me." not that it would have been annoying. he just didn't want her to catch a cold.

"s-sorry, I was just lost in thought is all."

"with the sun gone, it's only gonna get colder, I don't want you getting sick."

"oh, that's very sweet of you, but it's actually pretty warm right here. hmm! I can't get enough of it...so warm, so soft..." she nuzzled further into his side.

"if you get sick, don't come cryin' to me." he scoffed. once again, watching the treeline for anything that might want to steal his sweet little miko away.


	12. Chapter 12 (thank you, fightingchampion

_**thank you,**_ fightingchampion, _**for making my week with your absolutely wonderful pm, and the**_ _ **intriguing tidbit of info on our arrancar friend, Grimmjow. I hope you enjoy this chapter along with the others!**_

* * *

the next afternoon, Kagome removed his bandages for check-up, and found they had finished healing. she was both thrilled and... miserable. she didn't want him to leave. it was so nice having Grimmjow around.

"OI! is the cat fixed up yet?" Inuyasha growled from outside the hut. he couldn't wait for him to leave. this was HIS PACK, and he'd be damned if some CAT tried to take it from him.

"y-yeah...you're all healed up, Grimmjow." Kagome did her best to give him a warm, bright smile, but he obviously saw through it when he put his head on her shoulder. he didn't want to leave any more than she did. he'd fight to stick around if the mutt challenged him over it.

"good! then he can finally leave! we've been stuck here long enough, we're moving out just as soon as-"

"but I don't want him to leave!" Shippo yelped, bursting into the hut, and nestling himself between the miko and panther, "besides, you promised you show us your other forms when you got better!"

it was a start, and it would be good enough for him. "oh, yeah...that's right, and a man keeps his promises, come on, let's go."

"YAY!" the kit cheered, hopping from foot to foot excitedly.

"come on..." Grimmjow chuckled, picking him up in his maw by the back of his vest.

Kagome followed closely behind, she certainly wasn't going to miss this!

once they were outside, Grimmjow set Shippo on his feet, then continued on towards the center of camp. "I promised Shippo I'd show him my other forms after I healed, so here we go." he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and concentrated. a bright light flashed, along with a pulse of youki. once it was gone, there he stood, hands on his hips.

"whoa...! THAT'S SO COOL!" Shippo cheered, running up and hopping onto Grimmjow's shoulder, "YOU'RE SO TALL!"

Kagome was utterly speechless, he was definitely tall, but that wasn't what had her attention. he was drop dead gorgeous.. same blue eyes, electric blue hair... he had on a white and black kimono, with a sword resting at his hip. her heart skipped a beat, and her breath caught in her throat. was...was this what the girls from school meant by love at first sight? she couldn't take her eyes off him, she wanted to feel his arms wrap around her. she wanted...her eyes wandered to his lips, what would a kiss from them taste like?

"tch, so what? my brother can transform too, bunch of cocky bastards..." Inuyasha grumbled.

"hey, Shippo, why don't you go over to-...your...mama.." his words got caught in his throat. she was just...staring at him. he could feel his heart begin to pound, he knew she was beautiful, but seeing her out of his adjuchas form...she was breathtaking.

"OI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOIN'?! STOP STARIN' AT EACH OTHER!" Inuyasha's crass barking snapped them from their trance.

"r-right. sorry..." Kagome blushed bright red, and stared down at her feet. oh, how humiliating..

Grimmjow plucked Shippo from his shoulder, and set him on the ground, giving him a gentle push towards the flustered miko. looking around, he said, "but I can't release right here, I'd just obliterate everything. come on, I saw a good clearing on my way here." he turned and began to walk off.

"OI! YOU CAN'T GIVE OUT ORDERS LIKE THAT!" Inuyasha barked, causing Grimmjow to stop in his tracks, and look over his shoulder at the hanyou.

"it wasn't an order, just that we should move to the clearing to see my released state, you can stay here if you don't care about seeing it, but I promised I'd show Shippo, so that's where I'll be. if the rest of you want to see it outside of battle, this is your chance."

everyone else practically scrambled to follow the panther demon, after a minute, Inuyasha let out a scoff, he DID want to see what kind of 'badass' form that stupid furball had. "tch, damn, furball.."

once everyone was at the clearing, Grimmjow announced, "just stay at the edge, this releases a lot of power so stay clear."

"right. ok. sure. yeah!" came the collective response, along with a small scoff from Inuyasha.

glancing a smirk towards the hanyou, Grimmjow took, and unsheathed his sword. he flexed his knuckles, and pressed his fingertips to the blade.

focusing his energy, the ground seemed to shake a small bit, and the wind picked up around Grimmjow. the blade began to glow a bright blue. "GRIND.. PANTERA!" he shouted, seemingly digging his claws into the steel. then swiped them down the blade and tossed the blue energy off to the side, causing the wind to pick up dramatically, a large burst of dust, grass and leaves to spiral out into the sky, and cloud the air around him. after it dissipated. he was no longer holding the sword, but instead had transformed into a man/panther hybrid. long black claws, a long swishy tail, just like the one he had when he was a panther, his ears were much bigger, and pointed, but they hadn't moved to sit atop his head, but rather, they stayed at the sides, the inner fur was electric blue, while the outer fur was a turquoise green/blue, there was scythe like plating on the back of his forearms, and calves. his knees and ankles were jointed just like that of a panther, along with black paws instead of the black boots he wore mere moments ago. his electric blue hair had grown down to his hips, and his fangs had grown to be just as long as Inuyasha's as a full-demon. along his forehead was what looked to be more bone armor plating, almost like a crown of sorts...a few tendrils of hair hung over his face, and he still had his black collar.

"this is my strongest form. I call it my resurrecíon form."

Miroku stepped forward, looking rather thoughtful as he gripped his chin. "you had shouted, pantera, when releasing it, yes?"

"yeah, that's the name of my sword. Pantera."

"ah, just like Inuyasha's sword is named Tetsusaiga. I might just end up calling this form of yours Pantera Grimmjow."

"whatever's fine." Grimmjow shrugged

"YOU LOOK SO COOL!" Shippo exclaimed, running up and, once again, jumping into Grimmjow's shoulder.

'whoa...the energy he's kicking out is incredible...far more than Inuyasha's demonic energy when he's a full demon! maybe even more than Sesshomaru's true form...!' Kagome shuddered at the feeling of it wrapping around her reiki like a soft hug, it was a very comforting sensation.

"with strength like that, it makes me wonder how much stronger Naraku has gotten to-"

"he ambushed my pride, that has NOTHING to do with power, I barely made it out...but the others..they all...tch, I'm going to get my revenge for their deaths. even if I die in the process, I'll take that spider down with me."

"heh...and in the end...he had lost his life to Naraku...but he also took Naraku down with him like he promised.."

"but he's back now! so it's alright!" Rukia quickly spoke up, hating to see the gentle-natured miko sad.

she smiled warmly, "yeah...he is back, and I'm so grateful for it.." she sighed happily, laying on the soft grass, staring up at the blue sky of the soul society. "his youki was absolutely incredible!"

"reiki, and youki are..." the terms were distantly familiar to the reaper, but she couldn't quite remember them.

"well, reiki is another way to say spiritual pressure, and youki is basically just the demonic version of it"

"right!" Rukia nodded.

"so, where are we headed next for our search of jewel shards and Naraku?" Miroku spoke up. "Grimmjow, did you happen to see where he went after he attacked your pride?" Sango asked.

"yeah. from here, it'd be up north." he jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"it would seem we have our heading, wouldn't you agree, Inuyasha?"

"tch, if that's where we'll find the bastard..." the surly hanyou scoffed, and began to walk off.

"WAIT!" Kagome shouted, "we can't just leave! we have to pack up camp first!"

"oh, come on, Kagome!" Inuyasha growled.

"I'll help you" Grimmjow offered.

whoa...Kagome hadn't expected that in the least. "...really?"

"don't see why not." he shrugged. then gave a dramatic wave towards camp, "after you, milady."

a small giggle escaped the petite miko, "well, alright, then. we'll be able to pack up much faster with your help, thank you!" her beaming smile made his heart skip a beat.

'anything to hear that giggle and see that smile...' he idly thought, totally entranced by her. she'd be a wonderful mate...

with everyone ignoring Inuyasha's grumbling, and Grimmjow's help, they had packed up camp faster than ever.


	13. Chapter 13

"wow, that's gotta be the fastest we've ever packed up! you were a lot of help, Grimmjow! thank you!" Kagome beamed at him again.

"yeah... no problem" she really was beautiful, more so than any of his own kind!

"finally, let's go, we're burnin' daylight!" Inuyasha barked.

after a good few hours of walking, they all noticed a strong youki approaching.

"bastard..." Inuyasha growled, nose to the air.

Grimmjow simply looked to Kagome with a confused look. "his brother" she whispered, near-inaudibly.

"ah" he nodded. what kind of man was his brother to make the mutt hate him so much?

within a minute, they could see Sesshomaru's youkai cloud closing in on them.

wait a second..was HE related to the mutt? huh, never expected that..

"bastard, what do you want?!" Inuyasha shouted angrily.

"it is of no concern to you, brother, I am investigating an entirely separate manner." the stoic youkai touched down, and he went right up to Grimmjow, "so...you're still alive, I had passed by your pride the other day, still reaking with the stench of Naraku."

"yeah, he ambushed my pride while we were sleeping, barely made it out. how's the kid? I'll bet that toad has his hands full with her!" Grimmjow let out a deep laugh.

"hmph, that is Jaken's problem entirely, he detests all humans, especially Rin, as it would seem." Sesshomaru scoffed, "why are you travelling with my brother?"

"OI! THAT FURBALL AIN'T WITH ME! HE'S JUST-" Inuyasha snapped, but was cut off.

"I was not speaking to you. I know full well that you think yourself the alpha of this little pack."

"that's cause I AM THE ALPHA." he crossed his arms.

Grimmjow scratched the back of his neck, "well, for one thing, it's convenient, we all have a score to settle with that spider bastard." then he put a hand on Kagome's shoulder, "plus, I still have to repay the favor. Kagome saved my hide."

"hmph, it is simply in her nature to try and help everyone she comes across, even if doing so will get her killed." Sesshomaru glanced at her for a moment, before looking back at the panther. "I wanted to see if you had survived, it would be quite the pity to lose such a powerful ally."

"well, you have Kagome to thank for that. I thought I just needed a good night's rest, but her and this little guy found out I had miasma poisoning, and spent half a day getting rid of it." Grimmjow chuckled, picking Shippo up, and setting the small fox on his shoulder.

"YEAH!" the kit saluted the daiyoukai. "I helped mama lots when she was purifying the miasma, and healing his infected wounds!" he beamed.

"hmph, you always have been a lucky one, Grimmjow."

"ain't like you to just swing by to check on allies like this, what're you really after?"

"yes..." he looked at Kagome, "Rin has fallen ill, and none of my healers can find anything to help her. I understand you know of medicinal treatments not yet to be discover-"

"o-of course I'll help Rin!" Kagome stammered, interrupting the demon lord.

"tch, fine. hop on." Inuyasha scoffed, the squatted down before the miko.

"no offense, but she's better off riding with me, it'll be faster in my released state." Grimmjow stated.

"not to mention less irritating." Sesshomaru sighed. oh, how he detested this, but Rin was ill, and so far NOTHING could even BEGIN to help her. the miko was his last hope.

"like hell I'm letting that happen! Kagome, come on."

"you really are a fool, brother. Grimmjow is superior to you in every way."

Grimmjow simply smirked at receiving such high praise, "good to know you still trust in me."

"I have seen your skills first hand, I was simply stating a fact." Sesshomaru crossed his arms, watching as Grimmjow made enough distance between himself and the others.

he unsheathed his sword, "GRIND...PANTERA!" he shouted, releasing. just like before, the air around Grimmjow seemed to explode upwards in a spiral, and when the dust settled, he was in his ressurecíon form. "let's go, Princess." he smirked, and scooped her up bridal style.

"sure, let's- AHH! w-what are-?!"

"with as fast as I can run in this form, I doubt you'd even be ABLE to hold on to me, it's safer this way."

Kagome quickly blushed. "j-just don't drop me, ok?" she gave a nervous laugh.

"well, I guess we're headed for the west, Kirara?" Sango shrugged.

"MEW!" the neko agreed, hopping to the ground, and with a blaze of fire, she transformed into her, much larger, battle form. "MROWL!"

"can I ride with you and mama?"

"sure, just hold on tight." Grimmjow smirked, picking up the kit and setting him on Kagome.

"ok!" Shippo nodded excitedly, and grabbed ahold of Kagome's shirt, nuzzling against the miko. "I love you, mama!"

"aww, Shippo...I love you too." she gave the kit a few pats on the head, before wrapping her arms around the panther's shoulders. they were so strong, and broad...not to mention it felt...incredibly comforting to be in his arms, like...not even Naraku, or a furious Sesshomaru hell-bent on her demise could touch her as long as Grimmjow had his arms around her. she subconsciously began to nuzzle against Grimmjow as he ran towards the western castle.

and of course Grimmjow took notice of the action, and couldn't help but smirk as his pride inflated.

after only an hour of running, Grimmjow and Sesshomaru had reached the regal castle.

"she is in her room, I felt it best she be somewhere she could rest easily." Sesshomaru spoke, already walking briskly towards the ill child. Grimmjow had yet to let go of Kagome.

"Grimmjow, I CAN walk, you know."

"yeah, but I'd hate for Lord Sesshomaru to get mad if you couldn't keep up with his pace, he's walking pretty fast. besides, I like holding you, you're very light, and you're pretty warm for such a dainty human, not to mention you smell a lot nicer than any female I've ever met." Grimmjow's smirk only grew when he saw her grumble under her breath and look away from him in a failed attempt to hide her quickly growing blush.

that blush was absolutely adorable... "heheh, don't worry, Princess, I won't start a fight telling the mutt you like being in my arms more than in his."

"!?-y-you-...ough..." she groaned as her blush had gone all the way to her ears.

she, was, ADORABLE. Grimmjow found himself completely enraptured by how expressive the miko was.

"geez...can you just...stop? R-Rin is going to see and ask why my face is all..."

"bright red? yeah, yeah...I'll lay off. for now, at least." he chuckled.

"urgh, geez..." she let out a soft laugh as she shook her head at him. oh boy...he was going to be a handful... but to be honest...she couldn't really find it in herself to care in the slightest, Grimmjow was REALLY nice to have around. even if he was going to tease her like that.

"Grimmjow, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't distract the miko, she needs to heal Rin." Sesshomaru gave a soft groan.

"tch, yeah, yeah. I know." Grimmjow gave a deep chuckle, setting Kagome on her feet. then asked, "do you need my help in there?"

"thank you for the offer, but Shippo and I can handle this." she smiled warmly.

Kagome and Shippo spent the better part of the day fighting to keep Rin's fever from getting too high, making sure she took Kagome's modern medicine, and even read her one of the books Kagome kept in her bag for Shippo.

"and they lived happily ever after." Kagome read the last lines of the story, and softly closed the book.

Rin was happily asleep, clutching the stuffed lion she'd gotten at the market a while back. Shippo helped to replace the rag on her forehead before they left the room.


	14. Chapter 14

oh my god...SO SORRY! here's the CORRECT new chapter!

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"so, how's the kid doin'?" Grimmjow asked, sitting next to the door.

"how long have you been sitting there, Grimmjow?" Kagome asked with a small smile.

"a while" he replied with a light scoff. he nodded towards the door she and Shippo had just came through, "how's the kid?"

"Rin's going to be good as new in a day or so."

"that's good-"

"gurrrglrrg..."

"oh my!" Rukia giggled as Kagome covered her belly with her arms as a blush darkened her cheeks.

"heh...I think my stomach is telling us it's time for lunch.." she laughed nervously

Rukia nodded as she pulled out her soul pager, and sent a message to Renji.

-meanwhile-

Grimmjow, Byakuya and Renji walked down the path towards the massive department of research and devlopment. "remember, a fight is absolutely the last thing we want. it will only make everyone more cautious of you, Grimmjow. be careful that you don't let Captain Kurotsuchi know he's bothering you, it will only encourage him." Byakuya's voice was emotionless as always. he knocked on the massive door twice, "I have brought the arrancar, he has agreed to answer some questions. Renji is to be with him at all times, no exceptions." he spoke assertively. the door groaned as it opened to reveal Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

"ah, how nice of you to join us!" the deranged captain smiled, "oh, please, come in! come in!" he gestured for them to enter the ever-large building. the inside was filled with electronic noises of all sorts, mostly of beeps and the clicking of keyboards, assorted and overlapping voices as the reapers reported about what was on the monitors in front of them, or on the ever-long strip of paper that some odd looking machine continuously spat out.

"is there a more quiet place to talk? I can hardly think with all this noise..." Grimmjow growled, it wasn't LOUD, per se, but with his demonic hearing, coupled with the fact that there were so many different noises all constantly overlapping that it was already starting to get on his nerves.

"would you prefer we talk outside? generally my laboratory is the only silent area, but since I'm not allowed to experiment on you as I would like to, it would only test my self-control."

Grimmjow was about to dismiss it and say anywhere is better than here, when Byakuya spoke, "do not test my patience, Captain Kurotsuchi. I am beginning to wonder if agreeing to answer your questions was a complete waste of time that could have been better spent training Grimmjow in the use of kido."

"ah yes...I had forgotten you were still here, Captain Kuchiki.." Mayuri sighed, then shrugged slightly, "fine, fine. come along then." he turned and walked down one of the many halls within the department of research and development.

after a short while, they came to large spacious room. "ahh..sweet silence" Grimmjow muttered under a sigh of relief.

"I suppose THIS room will do?" Mayuri asked.

Byakuya took a look around the room, it was rather empty, just a few cushions and a simple desk. "why is this room so bare?"

"to be honest, this room is used for light interrogations, boring, really..." Mayuri groaned, and took a seat behind the desk.

Byakuya gave a light hum to acknowledge the explanation, "then I will be leaving this to you, Renji. I still have my duties as captain to see to."

"yessir! I won't let you down!" Renji saluted the captain as he silently left the building.

"NOW THEN! let's get started! please, sit. your beloved captain would only agree to 2 hours, and I intend on squeezing as much information as I can from you." he gestured to the cushions.

"yeah, whatever." Grimmjow shrugged, and sat cross-legged, as did Renji. "so what do you wanna know first?"

"of your abilities of course! for example, do you arrancars possess an equivalent to our bankai?"

"yeah, I guess you could call it that. though, we've always gone with ressurecíon."

"and would such a form be possible given your suppressed pressure and weapon confiscation?"

"of course it ain't. although, I do have this..." he trailed off for a moment, then extended his arms, crossing them at the wrist, flexing his fingers like claws. a low growl began to escape him, there was a blinding flash of light, and when it died down, Grimmjow looked like an armor-plated panther. "my adjuchas form." he said, sitting down and licking his paw before running it over his head.

"OH, HOW FASCINATING!" Mayuri exclaimed, oh, curse that infernal condition of no physical or spiritual contact of any kind, to either of them...what a shame, oh well.. "Rukia would often mention panther demons before you had burst through that senkaimon, is this form similar to that?"

"you mean like before I had died and became an arrancar?" Mayuri nodded at Grimmjow's question.

Grimmjow took a moment to look at his paws, and tail. "I had all 3 forms back in the day, heh, maybe you'll get to see my ressurecíon sometime."

"oh, how exciting! I certainly will have to try to see that!" Kurotsuchi clapped his hands gleefully. suddenly, he had an idea. "Renji!"

Renji jumped from the unexpected shout of his name, "er, yes, Captain?"

"as you know, I have been forbade from any direct contact with either of you."

blinking in confusion, Renji glanced at Grimmjow, then back to the strange captain, where was Captain Kurotsuchi going with this.. "...yes." Renji started warily, "but why are you bringing that up?"

"well, I would like to know certain aspects of him, but I cannot touch him, so...if neither of you mind, I would like for you to-"

"you want me to touch him and tell you what it feels like?" the tattooed lieutenant asked skeptically with a raised brow.

"well, how else am I going to get such data? if I cannot find out first hand, getting it merely a direct SECOND hand will be sufficient enough for now." Mayuri shrugged dramatically.

a groan escaped the red-head, "you're not going to give up on this, are you?"

"do you have a better idea? I tried to get the miko in here as well, but Captain Kuchiki was VERY adamant in denying me that." he clicked his tongue in irritation.

"gah, let's just get this over with.." Grimmjow growled.

"what does his fur feel like?"

Renji ran his palm down the fur on Grimmjow's shoulder blades, "surprisingly soft, sir."

after a very awkward 'interview' Grimmjow and Renji left the Department of Research and Development and went back to the Kuchiki manor as they had to report back to Byakuya and tell him how it went.

"hmph." Byakuya chuckled for a moment, "I'm surprised you went along with him like that."

"it's not that funny, Captain... please don't laugh..." Renji sighed, his head hung in shame.

Grimmjow simply growled under his breath, "I promised Kagome I'd see her for lunch."

Byakuya glanced at the arrancar for but only a moment, then nodded his head towards the door. "I suppose the two of you have earned that much, putting up with Captain Kurotsuchi's ridiculousness. you may go."

"do you know where they are? or where we're meeting them?" Grimmjow asked Renji.

with perfect timing, his soul pager buzzed, "it's a text from Rukia. they're at the gardens. come on, I know the way there."

the four of them were having a picnic in the kuchiki manor gardens.

Grimmjow laughed, "to be honest, Kuchiki reminds me a lot Sesshomaru."

"he really does..." Kagome giggled, leaning against the arrancar. ahh...she just couldn't get enough of him. "I missed this...oh, I love you, Grimmjow."

"mmmm, I love you too, Kitten." he turned and stole a short kiss from her.


	15. Chapter 15

"so what were you doing while I was out?" Grimmjow asked, smiling down at the miko snuggled into his lap.

"I was telling Rukia the story of how we met and how we fell in love." Kagome cheerfully responded. "how had things with Captain Kurotsuchi gone?"

Renji nearly choking on his tea, and Grimmjow giving an awkward cough.

"AH! Renji! are you ok?" Rukia exclaimed, giving his back a few less-than-gentle pats.

"y-ye-ah" he managed to say through the coughing.

"w-was I not supposed to bring that up?" Kagome looked up to see Grimmjow grimacing, and looking away from the group with a tiny, almost unnoticeable blush.

"I'd just rather not talk about that..." he grumbled. "a-ANYWAY, where were you in your story of us?"

"well...Shippo and I had spent a few hours getting Rin's fever down." the miko hummed, thinking about where she'd left off when her stomach gurgled.

"the first night at his castle, right?" Grimmjow chuckled.

"yeah, you had been sitting outside the door, and asked me how she was."

"riiight..." he nodded slowly, remembering. "while you and Shippo were tending to the kid, Sesshomaru was telling me how he hated the time of year it was, and that I was lucky that I wasn't nobility. heh." he chuckled at the memory

"time of year for nobles?" Kagome parroted, utterly confused.

"yeah." he nodded with a deep laugh.

"so..." Grimmjow chuckled lightly, "how many have you gotten this time?"

"for today alone? five." Sesshomaru heaved a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"tch. let's hope one of them doesn't try to kill Rin like last year's." the panther smirked..

"if it had been any other time, it would have incited a war. hmph, when her father found out what had happened, he begged and pleaded for her life to be spared." Sesshomaru crossed his arms over his chest.

"so what'd happened?" Grimmjow shook his head with a tiny scoff.

"I had told him, that I would allow her to return home, 'relatively' unharmed, but that I was never to be sent a courtship request from them and that our alliance was to be dissolved immediately. he agreed without any hesitation. I have not heard from them since."

"geez, you'd think a nobleman's daughter would be better behaved than that." Grimmjow laughed. "do you think anyone from this year is any good?"

"hmm...I suppose if I am to be honest, there is one that certainly has a lot of promise, at least in terms of Rin."

"yeah? that's good, the kid needs a mother."

"are you insinuating something, Grimmjow?" Sesshomaru glared.

"not a thing, all I meant was that every kid needs a mother at one point or another, regardless of what their father is like."

"MY mother never paid attention to me, my father did everything."

"heh, you didn't have a good mother then, mother's are supposed to teach kids how to deal with their emotions. perhaps that's why your brother is actually able to smile, I heard his mom was a lot like Kagome."

"hmm, perhaps." Sesshomaru turned and took a few steps before stopping and looking over his shoulder, "have a servant tell me when Rin has woken up"

"heh, you say that like you think I'll sit here the whole damn time."

"with the miko in there, that's exactly what I think you'll opt to do. you forget I can tell you have been marking her. a word of advice, Grimmjow. that woman is more loyal than any dog I've ever encountered, and just between you and I...you are an infinitely better match than my brother is."

"not like you to care for a human aside from Rin like that."

"I was not speaking for her sake. I was merely repaying a small favor. hmph, we are even."

"...I don't remember doing a favor for you."

"if it wasn't for you, I would have had to deal with my infuriating brother." suddenly, there was a faint reiki approaching. "she is early..." Sesshomaru noted to himself.

'another miko? her father must have bribed Sesshomaru with something truly, incredible to get him to even consider his proposal.'

-that night-

Kagome was given a room close to Rin, and Grimmjow had chosen the room directly adjacent to the miko's. Shippo had chosen to sleep in Rin's room so he could get Kagome should anything need her immediate attention.

-that night, Grimmjow learned Kagome was terrified of thunderstorms-

Grimmjow was asleep in the lavish bed of his guest room when he was awoken to the sound of pitiful whimpering, it was coming from the room on his right; the room Kagome and Shippo were in. 'guess she's having a nightmare' he mused to himself. should he go over and see if he could-..no.. no, he couldn't-

"G-Grimmjow?" he could faintly hear her calling out to him, "cou...could you, uhm-" ~RUUMMMMBLE CRASH~

a thunder clap and flash of lightning filled the night air, quickly followed by a tiny shriek of terror had the panther on his feet, rushing to get to the adjacent room.

when he opened the door, he heard her whimpering softly.

"G-Grimmjow...please.."

he smiled worriedly at the tiny shaking lump on the bed. "I'm right here, princess."

"c-come over here..." he could smell her tears through the sheets. without another thought, he strode up the bed, and scooped her into his arms. "it's alright.. it's ok. I'm right here, I'll protect you." he ran his hands up and down her back.

"I-I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

"I'm a light sleeper, but no, the thunder woke me up" he smiled gently at her, her eyes were red and puffy, but she was still so beautiful. so small and warm in his arms...

"I'm sorry to make you-"

"don't be, if you ever need anything, just shout for me, and I'll come running."

"really? but what about rebuilding your pride after Rin is all better?"

"I can rebuild it whenever I want. but before I do that, I have a bone to pick with Naraku, and I still owe you for saving my life the way you did. besides, I like being around you, I like Shippo too. hmph, and it is kinda fun to mess with the mutt. heh, I don't plan on leaving any time soon." he rolled her over so that she faced him, "I promise you, I won't leave your side unless you tell me to directly." he spoke tenderly, cupping her face in his palms.

"you..." she stared at him, wow...he was even hotter up close...

"I..." he stared at her, wow...she was even more beautiful up close.

without fully realizing it, they slooowly began to lean in, when a loud thunderclap tore through the sky, "AHH!" Kagome yelped, burying her face in Grimmjow's shoulder. "uh...s-sorry for shouting in your face like that."

"you're afraid of thunderstorms, it's alright, don't worry, I've got you. heh...ya know, the way you're curled up into a little ball almost makes you look like a cub." Grimmjow gave a chuckle, then wrapped his arms around her securely, "there we go, nothing will hurt you ever again as long as I have something to say about it, go to sleep, Kitten, I'm right here."

"will..you stay? at least until I fall asleep?"

"I'm not going to leave this spot until the sun comes up"

"thank you, Grimmjow..." with a sigh, Kagome fell asleep in Grimmjow's arms.


	16. Chapter 16

that next morning, Grimmjow awoke to find a lovely little warmth curled against him, he cracked his eyes open to see what it was, and smiled at the sight of the miko that had saved his life, and then promptly stolen his heart. "beautiful..." he whispered, she truly was beautiful, even though he couldn't see her face, as she had it buried in his haori. even better, that damn hanyou wasn't around to barge in and scare her half to death. she truly was a sight to behold.

a sweet warmth rose up, and gripped his heart like there was no tomorrow; he had fallen for the little miko curled up in his arms, oh...how he had fallen... she was perfect...in every way...except for her life span, a hundred years is all a human has, while it is nothing to a demon...he wanted to spend all of eternity with her. he'd find a way..both to win her heart, and make it so her life span matched his.

after a while, the sun had risen enough to fully illuminate the room, gently rousing Kagome from her slumber. "mmmm..." she groaned softly, she nuzzled against him for a minute, before sitting up and stretching her arms high above her head. just like in the hut, her frame shook and a soft squeal escaped her for a moment before she clapped her hands over her mouth and looked around, meeting his gaze, and turning bright red. "uhm...g-good morning, Grimmjow.."

"hmm, morning, Kitten."

"you...ah, didn't hear me-"

"stretching and making that adorable little squeak? yeah, I heard." he chuckled.

"a-ado-a-adorable?" she stammered, "there is no way that was anything other than-"

"adorable. just like a kitten begging for attention. so, did you sleep well?"

"yeah, I did. thank you so much." Kagome sighed, snuggling into Grimmjow's chest. "you're so warm.." she mumbled.

"well, I AM a panther demon, after all."

"yeah..." nuzzling further against him, Kagome couldn't help but note how muscular he was. gods...he must not have an ounce of fat on on him!

they laid there for a few minutes before he groaned softly, "now... as much as I would rather stay here with you wrapped up in my arms like this, I'm sure Sesshomaru would rather you check back on Rin."

"yeah... what are you going to do while I'm busy?"

"well, I think I could just sit outside the room, ya know, just in case anything happens with those noblewomen coming over, or if you just need something."

"hmm, yeah, I'd feel a lot safer with you on guard. oh..I really don't want to get up, I'm comfortable right here.. stupid responsibilities..."

"I know, but we have to."

"yeah...ok, let's go." she snuggled against him for a moment, before hopping to her feet. she reached up over her head, and stretched. her frame shook and a tiny squeal escaped her, "AH!" she yelped, clapping both hands over her mouth, "you...ahhh didn't happen to hear that just now, did you?"

"and what if I had?" he chuckled.

"augh, of course you heard that..."

"heheh, and don't bother telling me to forget what I heard, that was such an adorable noise, Kitten. I look forward to hearing that every morning." Grimmjow chuckled, wrapping his arms around him from behind for a moment. "I'll be sitting outside the kid's room, don't take too long changing, I might get worried, and walk in on you changing. HAHA!" he laughed and ducked out of the way as she reached over to the bed and threw a pillow at him.

"gah... insufferable panther..." she scoffed, waiting for him to leave before she removed her pajamas.

"aww, don't be like that, Kitten, you know you love having me around!" he called from the other side of the door.

"yeah...yeah, I do.." Kagome giggled to herself softly as she changed.

"you thought you were so smooth back then, didn't you?" Kagome giggled, gently smacking him on the chest with an open palm.

"and what if I did? it worked, so who's complaining?" Grimmjow laughed deeply

"wow...you were already in love?" Rukia asked, amazement written all over her face.

Kagome blushed, and fumbled for the words, "uh...w-well...I mean..I-I guess I hadn't fully realized it at the time, but...I-I think so.."

Grimmjow scoffed, "oh yeah...my beast wouldn't shut up about 'er."

"your...beast?" Rukia blinked.

agreeing with Rukia, Renji added, "whaddya mean, 'beast'?"

"you never explained that, huh?"

"hey... I'm not the one who has a beast, it's much easier if you explain it"

"tch, yeah, yeah..." Grimmjow chuckled, shaking his head, she certainly had a point. he leaned back, bracing a palm against the soft grass, and looked to the sky for a long moment, "well... it's kind of like having a second person in your head, but that person is still you. just a different part of you; the part that is pure instinct."

"OH! like your zanpakuto!" Rukia exclaimed, loudly clasping her hands together.

"yeah..." Renji nodded. "that sounds pretty similar to our zanpakuto."

"oh? you can speak to your swords?" Kagome tilted her head curiously.

"yeah, but they actually are separate beings with their own personality."

Grimmjow looked back up at the sky, concentrating. 'beast...are you still there? after all this time?' deep down, he could feel something softly pulsating rhythmically, if he focused on it, he could feel it growing stronger, it...felt so familiar...was that his beast? 'beast..I..think I can I feel you waking up...' the pulsating grew much stronger. ~'Grimmjow...' a voice spoke, so quiet that if Grimmjow hadn't been focusing on it, he wouldn't have heard it at all. ~'Grimmjow..' the voice grew along with the pulsating.

the others took notice to a strange spiritual pressure that was growing from within the arrancar.

"whoa...what is that?" Rukia asked, looking at Kagome worriedly.

she stared at her mate, "his youki is growing..." she whispered, "I-..think he's trying to find his beast."

"find his beast? what do you mean, Kagome?" Renji asked, "if his beast is a part of him, why would he have to find it?"

"well...Grimmjow, as he is now.. technically is DEAD, since he's an arrancar. so... maybe he's more soul reaper than demon right now, and to hear his beast, he has to reconnect to his past..? I-...I guess?" suddenly, she saw Rukia and Renji jump up, "wh-what's going on?" she asked worriedly.

"he's changing..." Rukia gasped

~'Grimmjow...' his beast grumbled lethargically. ~'I thought we died...' Grimmjow inwardly smirked at that, 'heh, yeah, we did. but we still won. that bastard, Naraku, died with us.' ~'hmm, maybe we should have listened to-...where's our mate?' his arms tightened around Kagome a fraction. 'she's right here, but we're gonna have to be careful for a while.' but before his beast had a chance to reply. Grimmjow felt his body pulsate before everything went black.

Grimmjow's body began to pulsate with demonic aura.

"whoa!" Renji exclaimed, he and Rukia both jumping a few steps away from the arrancar.

he moved to grab Kagome, but Rukia held her arm out in front of him.

"stop! we can't separate them by force, don't you remember what happened at the Senkaimon?"

"right, thanks for stopping me, Rukia."

"Grimmjow? what's going on?" Kagome asked worriedly. "Grimmjow, speak to me!"

soon, a low growl began to escape him, "mmaate.."

she gasped at the shift of his voice, "beast..." she whispered.

"mmmm.." he looked at her, his pupil dilating wide. a broad, peaceful smile stretched across his face. "my precious kitten...I'd thought I'd never see you again..." he gingerly cupped her face in his palms. "how long...?"

"well, for me, a little over a year and a half. for you...I'd imagine a little over 500 and a half years. it's nice to see you again, hmm." she leaned against his palms, "I can't have a demon mate without his beast, now can I?"


	17. Chapter 17 - sup, jim-jam

an arrancar's heart

GrimmjowxKagome

CH. 17

"ohh, how I missed you, Kitten..." he leaned in and molded his lips to hers. effectively making her melt against him. a soft little whimper escaped her. it was rough and wild, yet it was also incredibly sweet and tender.

"mmmm...I love you too. now, can I speak with Grimmjow again?"

"come on, one more taste, I've been asleep for 500 years, after all." Beast growled

"oh, alright, but just one mor-mmph! ..mmm.." gods...it was amazing... tsp..."ahh...n-now..get Grimmjow, please.. I'll see you again later, I promise..." her body sang with blissful gaiety. oh, life was so perfect...

"alright." he stole a quick kiss before receding. she watched as the red and blue gave way to white and curulean. "huh? tch, what's that look for, Kitten?"

"I-...hmmm, I just saw Beast..." she whispered, snuggling against the arrancar, happy as could be.

"right, should have guessed, I've seen that look more times than I can count." he looked up, and noticed Rukia and Renji watching confusedly. "hey. if you're worried about my beast attacking you, don't. heh, he couldn't attack even IF he wanted to, which, by the way, he doesn't."

"hmm, not with me around." Kagome added with a blissful sigh. oh.. she'd forgotten what her mate's beast's kisses were like. always so charged with demonic power, that it left her happily dazed. "I forgot how much his kisses take out of me, heh... not that I'm complaining in the slightest." Kagome sighed happily.

"and he is glad to hear it." Grimmjow leaned in and whispered, "he also says you tasted like honey, and it's just as addicting as ever."

"AH! G-Grimmjow!" she yelped, burying her face in chest.

"HAHAHA! so, anyway, where were we in the story?" he laughed loudly.

"it was morning, and I had just finished changing my clothes for the day." Kagome smiled.

Kagome left the luxurious bedroom. she smiled at the demon sitting by Rin's bedroom door. "you won't be bored out here?" she laughed

"maybe, hey, don't I get a reward if-" he cut himself off when she started giggling. his heart skipped a beat. oh, what an amazing sound.

"haha, well, I guess that depends on what you want, Grimmy"

he blinked, "...Grimmy?"

"yeah" she squatted down in front of him, "if you can give me a nickname-"

a smirk formed on his lips, showing off his fangs, "Kitten" he purred.

"yeah, Kitten. then I think it's only fair I give you one too, Grimm-kitty"

"wh-that's a different one!"

"I haven't fully decided. but I think it sounds nice, it matches my, Kitten, too!"

"hmm" he purred satisfactorily, it was almost like they were already courting... "then stick with that one, I like it."

a bright smile beamed back at him, "great! if you need anything, just give a shout!" she laughed happily, hopping to her feet, and rushing into the room as the sound of Shippo calling for her could be heard.

Grimmjow was about to spread his youki when a servant walked past, "hey, lady!" he called out.

"ah! yes, Master Grimmjow?"

"go tell Sesshomaru the kid has woken up." he jutted a thumb towards the room behind him.

she bowed, "right away." and left.

"Mama!" Shippo called out. he could hear her laughing with Grimmjow, and he hated to interrupt, but Rin was waking up.

"great! if you need anything just give a shout!" she'd laughed, then came rushing into the room. "is something wrong?"

"Rin's waking up." he pointed at the small girl groggily looking around the room as she slowly sat up. she probably wondered where she was for a moment, before her eyes landed on Shippo and Kagome. she smiled as warmly as she could, and softly began to speak, "Shippo...Kagome.."

Kagome smiled back at Rin, "hey. how are you feeling?"

"I'm...still tired. huh?" she glanced out the window, "oh, it's morning. it's so pretty" she mumbled, smiling softly.

"Rin, I need to take your temperature, can you help me do that?" Kagome sat down on the edge of the bed, quickly grabbing Rin's attention.

"uh-huh!" she turned to look back at Kagome.

she held out a tiny strange object with a dark hole in it, and a long piece with a shiny tip. "can you hold this under your tongue until it makes a 'beep!' sound?"

"..what is it?" Rin asked, absolutely confused.

"it tells Mama if you can have a prize!" Shippo announced. even though he knew what it really did.

Kagome glanced over at him, and gave a smile and a small wink at him. oh, yes! he'd be getting a candy too.

"oh! ok!" Rin beamed, and opened her mouth wide, and let Kagome put the thermometer in. a minute later, it let out a very highpitched BEEP, and Kagome took it out to see what the screen read.

"...ok..." she mumbled, nodding. her fever was down significantly.

"u-uhm...s-so what does it say?" Rin asked nervously.

Kagome smiled, and happily announced, "it says you've done very good, and you get a prize!"

"yay!" Rin beamed, and watched as Kagome went to her big yellow bag, when she returned, she gave Shippo a small sucker, and held out a small sakura blossom charm bracelet to her. "ah! it's so pretty!" Rin beamed as Kagome placed it on her small wrist.

a few minutes later, there was a knocking on the door. "I was informed that Rin has awoken."

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin beamed as the daiyoukai entered the room.

"how are you feeling, Rin?" he asked.

"lots better! I even got a prize! see?" Rin held out her wrist, showing off the bracelet Kagome had just given her, "isn't it pretty, Lord Sesshomaru?"

he chuckled for a quick moment, "yes, it is, indeed." he then looked over to Kagome, "I am having a very important guest that will be staying until the next full moon. so I expect everyone to be on their very best behavior, she is of human nobility; a long line of quite powerful mikos and monks."

"but Lord Sesshomaru is way stronger!" Rin beamed.

Kagome smiled amusedly at the small girl before addressing the daiyoukai, "would it be alright if I asked her name?"

"hnn. she has requested to be addressed only as Lady Chika."

"I thought you said the guy hated humans" Renji interjected.

"he certainly used to, but he got over that thanks to Rin and that Lady Chika." Grimmjow chuckled.

"yeah, she was such a sweet person." Kagome smiled. "I had met her a few times during our stay at the Western castle. she helped me pick herbs, and she even taught me some different uses for my reiki, which ended up being very useful."

Byakuya sat at his desk, finishing his paperwork for the day.

afterwards, he reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out a photograph, it showed a man who resembled Byakuya quite closely, "demons..." Byakuya mumbled, "I thought you were the last one, Father. perhaps it is time I went to see you. it's nearly been a century since my last visit, afterall.."


	18. Chapter 18

"the next day I had learned Rin lost the bracelet I gave her, so I spend all day searching for it" Kagome said, glancing over her shoulder at her mate.

it was pouring down rain, and Kagome was thoroughly soaked. "KAGOME! COME ON!" Grimmjow shouted to catch her attention. "we can keep searching after the rain lets up, but you have to get into some dry clothes or you'll catch a cold, you're only human!"

"NO!" she shouted back, looking under a bush, "Rin loved that bracelet! I can't just STOP searching for it, she was so sad when she realized she had lost it! I have to-"

"ok, that's it. you're going inside."

"Gri-Grimmjow! didn't you hear-AAAHH!" she yelped when she was suddenly scooped off her feet and held tight against a broad, muscular chest. the heat radiating from it made her realize just how cold she was. "but, Grimmjow! I-"

"no buts, Kitten, you're soaked to the bone." Grimmjow glanced down at her, gave a scoff, and dashed under an awning, "besides, do you really want to be stuck in the rain when it starts thundering?"

"I'm-" right...that was the LAST thing she wanted. "urgh, fine, but only because of the thunder..." she mumbled, snuggling against him, he really was quite warm...and he smelled so wonderfully masculine, 'hmm, this...is really nice. Grimmjow's so warm...' with that thought in mind, Kagome found herself falling asleep comforted by the strong grip and demonic warmth of the panther.

"geez, you're going to get yourself killed, and then the mutt will try to kill me because of it! just what am I gonna do with you?" when she didn't respond, he glanced down, "hey, Kagome. Kitten? why are you so quiet?" was she...asleep? wow..she must have really worn herself out looking for that damned bracelet thing all day. geez, what a handful she was. hmph, not that he truly minded, "alright then, let's get you inside, and into some nice dry clothes, then we'll get started on warming you up, I promised I'd protect you no matter what, and I plan on keeping that promise." he mumbled softly, as if it were just a vow to himself more than to her.

"I wish I had been awake to hear that." Kagome giggled, leaning against the arrancar.

"yeah, well... you weren't, so.." Grimmjow blushed slightly.

"so what happened next?" Rukia asked, excited to hear more of the story.

"it was pouring so hard that I couldn't see enough to find my way back to the western castle, and any scent trail there might have been was long gone so I couldn't navigate by smell alone. I couldn't just run blind with Kagome already so rain soaked! I had to take shelter in the village."

"he was so sweet too. heh, I woke up the next morning in a villager's kimono, I kind of panicked thinking he'd seen me naked"

"but I told her that I waited just outside the room while two female attendants changed her when we got to the inn."

"mmng.." Kagome groaned softly, burying her face into into her pillow, a thought flitted across her mind for just a moment; since when was her pillow so warm? eh, whatever, she was far to comfortable to really care, besides, it'd been so long since she slept THIS WELL.

then her pillow groaned, and she realized something was wrapped around her waist, pulling her against something just as warm as the rest of her pillow. but...pillows can't move. ..what-no, WHO, was behind her? she tried to look around for a clue, but it was still quite dark out as the sun hadn't yet risen.

"relax, Kitten, it's me. nyeeah..man...we really need to do something about your fear of thunder, heheh." a deep voice from behind her chuckled.

"huh? GAH! G-Grimmjow! what are you doing?!" Kagome tried to sit up, but his arm wrapped around her kept her in place.

"it's too early for that, come on, go back to sleep. the sun's not even up, we shouldn't be either."

"heh. you'll get used to it around Inuyasha and the others. we're always up just before sunrise."

"really? why are you always in such a rush?"

"well, Inuyasha is impatient about getting to the next jewel shard, and we need to defeat Naraku." she sighed.

"right, fair enough, I guess." Grimmjow scoffed momentarily. "but it's just us for now, so I say we enjoy ourselves while we can. what do you say to that?"

"hmm, I think that sounds-" Kagome froze mid-sentence as she glanced down, she was wearing a villager kimono.. so her clothes were changed last night...which meant Grimmjow saw her..- "oh gods..." she mumbled.

"oi. if you're freaking out because of what you're wearing, don't. two female inn attendants changed you while I waited outside the room."

"o-oh...r-right, sorry.. but how did you-"

"heh, I was wondering when you'd notice, I knew you'd freak out over it."

"sorry, I just..." Kagome blushed all the way to her ears.

"what, don't you trust me, Kitten?" Grimmjow laughed

"wha- o-of course I do! it's not that, I just..."

"just nothin'. it's fine, besides, you were pretty adorable last night, the way you cuddled up to me."

"g-geez...can you stop saying such embarrassing stuff?"

"tch, like what? you ARE adorable, Kitten!" he laughed, pulling her in closer by a fraction.

"like that!" she hid from the world in his chest. although...she had to admit, it did feel pretty good to be complimented like that.

he just couldn't get enough of her! 'she'll make for a PERFECT mate.' his beast purred. 'yeah...I just hope I can steal her heart away from the mutt.' Grimmjow agreed with a small sigh. "come on, let's just relax for a while longer."

"alright, alright. thank you for helping me the way you did last night" Kagome smiled softly, snuggling against him. "aahh, you're so warm..." she then mumbled.

"heh, you were soaked right to the bone, and I couldn't exactly take you to a hot springs to warm you up. not that I minded my only option, I slept quite well. hehehe, you're so tiny compared to me."

"oh? is that a bad thing?" Kagome giggled softly.

"tch, of course not, Kitten."

"well, that's good to hear. speaking of which, do you think you could-" he cut her off by pulling her in tighter by just a fraction, "ahh...you really are so warm...mmm, and it feels heavenly..." Kagome sighed, snuggling against him. 'Grimmjow really is amazing...he's so thoughtful. I could REALLY get used to this kind of spoiling.'

soon, she had dozed off. held tight by the man she was growing to love.

a short while after the sun had risen Kagome sat up, yawned, and stretched; the action, as always, caused her frame to shake a small bit while a short high pitched squeal escaped. "GAH!" she yelped, "I really wish I could stop doing that.."

he let out a barking laugh, "now why would you want that? it's so cute!"

"GAAH!" she buried her face in her palms as he hugged her close, "can you please stop calling it cute?! it sounds like a-"

"tiny kitten" he smirked, cutting her off.

"AUGH! I'm telling you, it's NOT cute!" she punched his arm.

"maybe not to YOU, but I find it INCREDIBLY cute"

"gahh..."

there was a soft knock on the door, followed by a soft female voice, "Mr. Grimmjow? is your wife feeling better? I have your breakfast."

he froze for a moment, oh shit, he forgot about that...

Kagome blinked, "w-w-wife?" she stammered, staring owlishly at the demon.

he chuckled awkwardly, whispering, "it was the only way those inn workers were gonna let me stay in the same room as you..." he then addressed the attendant, "yeah, come on in." he spoke as the two of them sat up.

"o-oh..." some small part of her began giggling, 'Mrs. Kagome Jaegerjaques' and she couldn't help but feel a bit excited by the thought.


	19. Chapter 19

CH. 19

'well, I DO want to settle down and raise a family some day, but I guess I never really stopped to think about it in detail, I guess I had aways just assumed that I'd marry a human, but... I really am more likely to settle down with a demon considering how much time I spend in the feudal era... not to mention... I really like having Grimmjow around.'

"oi, don't you start daydreamin' on me" Grimmjow patted her cheek, "come on, wake up!"

"ah! right, sorry! I got lost in thought for a moment there." Kagome laughed nervously

"mind sharing?" he chuckled, she was so cute.

the smell of freshly cooked fish filled the room, giving Kagome an excuse to change the subject. "oh wow, that fish smells amazing!"

"it's our village specialty, we have a stream quite close by where the fish will gather in great numbers during this season." the attendant smiled brightly. she set down the food, and left. "please enjoy."

Kagome glanced over at the feline, "what?"

"I wonder what had you so lost in thought." he chuckled and began eating. "OH, I KNOW!" a wicked grin spread across his lips. he leaned in and whispered, "you were thinking about what it would be like to be my mate! I don't blame you, hahaha!"

"geez..." Kagome pushed him away by the shoulder, oh thank god her bangs were long enough to cover her bright red face. he wasn't far off at all.

they ate their fish in relative, yet comfortable, silence as they both were occupied with their thoughts. Kagome couldn't stop thinking about being mistaken for Grimmjow's WIFE 'Mrs. Kagome Jaegerjaques...well, it certainly DOES have a nice ring to it...'

that adorable squeal Kagome made whenever she stretched bounced around Grimmjow's head, making him chuckle ever-so-softly, 'so cute...' he looked over at her, and felt his chest tighten slightly, gods...she was so beautiful... 'she's going to be the perfect mate.' his beast purred happily.

"awww, you two really are adorable together!" Rukia exclaimed.

"she still makes that cute little squeak when she stretches, you know, hehehe" he laughed.

"I-I DO NOT!" Kagome yelped indignantly. "besides, it is NOT cute!"

"sure, whatever you say, Kitten." he laughed, hugging her close for a moment.

"hey, did you ever find the bracelet?" Renji asked.

"no, sadly...but I later found out that Lady Chika had actually found it when we returned to the western castle that afternoon."

"apparently some of Sesshomaru's demoic aura was still clingin' to it." Grimmjow shrugged

"wow!" Rukia beamed. "she sounds incredible!"

"she really was! we also learned that I had caught a cold from being out in the rain for so long." Kagome laughed awkwardly.

"oh no...that's terrible!" Rukia gasped.

"well, it could have been a lot worse, Grimmjow took such good care of me. he never left my side unless he absolutely had to. it was so sweet." she smiled up at her mate.

as the day progressed, Kagome began to feel weaker and weaker. she was cold, but her face felt so hot, she grew dizzier and dizzier as the hours ticked by.

they were almost back at the castle when Kagome stumbled over nothing. she had attributed her weakened state to stress.

Grimmjow caught her before she fell, "hey, are you feeling alright, Kitten? you've been acting a little off since we left the village" he asked.

"heh...maybe I'm just too worried over not finding Rin's bracelet."

"no... I really don't think it's that..." he had an idea, and put his forehead to hers. "are you sick? that would definitely explain it."

"what? no! I-I can't be sick!" Kagome protested, "we've kept Inuyasha waiting for us to get back to the group for two days already! I'm sure he's going to be unbearable if we keep him waiting any longer!"

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, that dog isn't alpha material." Grimmjow growled softly. her forehead felt unnaturally hot. "I really think you have a fever." he gave a smirk, "you could have avoided this if you'd just listened to me, Kitten."

"oh yeah?"

"yeah, I told ya to get outta the rain before you caught a cold, but SOMEONE didn't want to listen!" he tapped her on the nose. he scooped her into his arms, "she's just lucky to have me around to take care of her."

"oh, she is, huh?" Kagome laughed softly. "and what if she didn't think so?"

"then maybe she'll have to deal with the thunderstorms all by herself." he laughed.

"hmm, maybe YOU'RE the lucky one here, did you ever think of that?" she scoffed weakly.

"yeah? why's that?" he glanced down at her, gods have mercy on him...he was falling so hard for her...

"-jow! hey! if you're going to ask me a question, the least you can do is pay attention when I answer it."

"right, sorry. you were saying?"

"hmm...I don't know if I want to repeat myself. you'll just- nyaah.." she smirked, a tongue curling yawn interrupting whatever she was going to say. "augh..maybe I am sick..oh, I just hope Inuyasha will be understanding...geez, I really shouldn't feel this tired." she snuggled against his chest. "why are demons always so warm? it feels so nice...hmm, very very warm...ahh" she sighed, nuzzling further against him.

"rest up, Kitten, you deserve it." she really was such an amazing woman...unlike any he'd ever met before. so selfless, and determined to help, even if doing so got her hurt.

Grimmjow took off towards the castle.

"I had no idea what I was doing, it was lucky for me that Lady Chika was there." Grimmjow laughed. "Rin was convinced she'd given Kagome her cold."

"but I promised her it was not her fault." Kagome smiled fondly at the memory. "to be honest...I'm actually really glad that I had gotten sick."

"wha-who in their right mind would WANT to be sick?" Renji was absolutely baffled.

"no, heh, I don't mean it like that, Renji. I'm glad for it because it brought me closer to Grimmjow. it let me see new sides to him, sides I don't think I'd ever have seen if I hadn't gotten sick."

"I would have gone to my time so Mom could give me some modern medicine, but Grimmjow wouldn't hear of me traveling anywhere."

"besides, at the time I didn't know I could go through the well. just that the mutt could, and I didn't want to leave her alone with him."

"you have always been so possessive of me" Kagome giggled.

"couldn't help it, cats don't like to share just as much as dogs, especially when it involves sharing WITH dogs."

"yeah, yeah...so, Grimmjow was running back to the western castle, and-...oh.." her smile dropped off, and Kagome buried her face in her palms with an embarrassed laugh, "oh no...heheh.."

everyone was confused, "uh...Kagome? what's going on?" Rukia asked.

"I just remembered something that happened on the way there that woke me up. oh no...hehehe..."

Grimmjow wracked his brain, trying to figure out what incident she meant. "on the way..." he mumbled under his breath. his crystal blue eyes widened as recognition hit. "was it..?"

"yeah." Kagome sighed.


	20. Chapter 20

_if you wish to help Arrancar's Heart to be updated more regularly, please, review/pm me with ideas, and I will put your screen name at the top of the chapter that your idea was placed into._  
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 _now, onto the story! incredible fluff is coming in chapter 21! ;3_

* * *

"the wolf?" the panther demon asked; memories of a certain wolf that liked getting much too close to Kagome for his comfort.

"Koga...yeah." she whispered to him. smiling awkwardly.

a loud groaned escaped as Grimmjow face palmed alongside his mate.

"well?" Renji chuckled, "don't leave us hangin'! what happened?"

"ahh, it's so embarrassing!" Kagome giggled.

"I'll start then." Grimmjow chuckled. "I was running towards the western castle, when I sensed a youki closing in on us. I looked over my shoulder for a moment to see what it was, and I saw a massive whirlwind headed right for us!"

"I woke up soon after." Kagome sighed with a smile.

"the hell..?" Grimmjow muttered to himself. he could sense the youki of strong demon approaching them quickly. urgh, he didn't have time for a fight, Kagome needed rest and medicine!

"nnngh.." Kagome groaned softly, "wh-I can sense jewel shards...two of them." due to her cold, her mind was a bit foggy and so she didn't realize who it was until she saw the ever-familiar tornado.

"OI! KAGOME!" Koga yelled over the roaring of the wind rushing around him as he ran over to the two. he came to a stop just behind them. the tornado dissipated immediately as he did so.

"who are you?" Grimmjow asked with a growl.

"was about to ask you the same thing. I don't recognize you."

"my pride is-...-was. in the southern lands." Grimmjow replied bitterly.

"was? what happened?"

"we were ambushed by a demon named Naraku"

"Naraku..." Koga snarled, baring his fangs and clenching his fists tightly. "so you've had the misfortune of meeting the bastard too, I see."

"yeah... I was the only one who survived the attack, but just barely. I was saved when I came upon a curious mismatched group." Grimmjow glanced down at the half-asleep miko in his arms.

"you mean Kagome's group? speaking of which, what are you doing with her?!"

"she's sick, so I'm taking her to the western castle for rest."

"like hell I'm leaving her alone! even if you are going to the western castle, I-"

"Koga..! it's ok.. Grimmjow would never hurt me." Kagome smiled softly, subconsciously snuggling into the panther's hold. "he also promised to protect me,"

"how the hell did you even get sick in the first place?!" Koga shouted. "some protector!"

"hey..! it wasn't his fault, I was searching for a bracelet I'd given to Rin that she'd lost."

"it was raining, and she ignored me when I said she should get outta the rain; got soaked right to the bone."

"ah. well, that explains the kimono, you normally wear that weird futuristic stuff."

"my school uniform, yeah. ugh, I'm going to have to get a new one...geez.."

Koga moved to take her from Grimmjow, but the panther let out a loud snarl, and turned away from the wolf. "just what the hell do you think you're doing, wolf?"

"I'm takin' her back to my den, she can rest there with my tribe. she's my woman, after all."

both Kagome and Grimmjow bristled at his boldly staked claim, she blushed bright red as she, once again, denied his claim on her, "I am STILL NOT your woman, Koga! you're always saying that in front of Inuyasha just to get a rise out of him. now, for the last time, please, stop it! you are promised to Ayame!" even so, it wouldn't have mattered whether or not Koga was promised to Ayame.. she was already growing quite attached to Grimmjow.

Koga grimaced a bit at her scolding, he looked away with a small huff, "man, it's bad enough that you always hang around the mutt, but now a CAT?"

"oi, I'm not some household kitty, I'm a PANTHER."

in the back of her mind, something whispered, 'but you're still MY Grimm-kitty.' the thought made her smile. oh, she really did lo-...she-..REALLY DID love him...wow. so this is what being 'in love' felt like? it'd been so long since she felt it so strongly, 'I guess I've been over Inuyasha for longer than I thought...mmmm, Grimmjow..' just thinking of his name sent a surge of warmth to race through her, 'I can only hope you love me too...'

"seriously, Kagome, what's with you hanging out with such freaks?"

"you say that like you're not one." Grimmjow scoffed

"I'm head of the eastern wolf tribe!" Koga barked defensively.

"tch" shaking his head, Grimmjow turned and resumed walking towards the western castle. "that supposed to mean something?"

"OI! I'M NOT DONE TALKING!"

"well, I'm done listening, Kagome needs rest and medicine." he looked down at her, "you'll be back on your feet in no time, and I promise to be right beside you the whole time."

"thank you.." Kagome smiled up at Grimmjow. she felt so safe and secure in his arms. he was so warm too... she buried her face into his muscular chest, "I'm sorry...I should have listened to you about the rain..I was just so worried about Rin..." she mumbled tiredly. "I guess I wasn't thinking straight."

"hey, I shoulda pulled you outta the rain sooner. it's just as much my fault as it is yours"

"hmm, guh, I'd like to argue with that, but I'm just too tired right now." she let out a tired scoff.

"haha! well, it looks like I win this round!" Grimmjow laughed loudly.

"only because I'm too tired..!" Kagome drowsily giggled back, then yawned, and nuzzled against him. "are you sure you want to stay so close to me? you could catch my cold."

"HAHAHA!" the loud boisterous laugh scattered a few birds, "I'm a demon, Kitten, your little cold won't affect me."

"OI! you can't just walk away from me like that!" Koga shouted indignantly.

glancing over his shoulder, Grimmjow blinked, "you're still here? I thought you left already. whatever, it doesn't change anything, I'm still taking Kagome to the western castle." then added with a scoff, "so just watch me walk away!"

"geez...what is it with you and Inuyasha always fighting with Koga?" Kagome smiled.

"hey, no male likes having some other male, especially one of a different breed just waltz in and stake claim on somethin' or someone that clearly isn't his to claim in the first place!"

"oh... yeah, that makes sense. humans are a lot like that too. hmm...you know, Inuyasha never would have made the effort to explain it to me like that.. thank you."

"happy to help. now, let's get you to the castle so you can rest properly, and no buts about me catching your cold."

"but I-"

"hey, I JUST SAID, no buts!" Grimmjow laughed, cutting her off.

"hehe, I wasn't arguing. I just going to say, but I want to do something to thank you for everything. you're so kind, probably one of the kindest demons I've ever met, heh, aside from Shippo, of course." Kagome sighed, gently snuggling against him.

"he's your kid, of course he's nice!" Grimmjow laughed again. "I don't need you to do anything to thank me, really." it was enough just getting to spend time alone with her; to hold her close, so he could revel in her scent and gentle warmth.

"BUT I WANT TO!" she just about shouted. "I really really want to...you've done so much for me."

"you're not going to let me hear the end of it, are ya?" he groaned softly. "can't we just say we're even from you saving my ass?"

"well...I-I guess we could, but.. I want to really thank you...please?"

another groan left him, and Kagome smiled, she knew that groan; she'd won.

"fine, fine, I'll think of something." Grimmjow sighed with defeat.

"and remember, I won't let you just leave it there. I'll remind you every day."

"yeah, yeah, I know you will, Kitten. let's go, hold on tight."

"heh, I'll do my best." Kagome smiled, wrapping her arms around Grimmjow's broad shoulders as he took off to the western castle.


	21. Chapter 21

reminder- inner beast= '*talking from subconscious*'

the next morning, Kagome awoke to find her face buried into something firm, but still amazingly soft, and addictingly warm. "ahh, it's been so long since I've had such a great pillow..." she muttered to herself, snuggling against it, "hmm, I wonder what Grimmjow's doing right now." she took a deep breath, then let it out in a long relaxed sigh, "I'm so glad Shippo seems to like him...he really needs someone to support him and his magic...haah, Grimmy really is amazing, he's so-.." her fingers trailed down a ridge on her pillow, only to be startled when said pillow shuddered, and growled lowly. Kagome sat up quickly, and regretted it just as fast when her head began throbbing, "gahh!" she yelped, laying back down.

"hey! what's wrong?" her pillow spoke worriedly. wait, she knew that voice...oh no..her pillow wasn't a pillow at all, it was Grimmjow!

with the realization a bright red blush crept up, staining her cheeks. "G-Gr-Grimmjow! wh-what are-...oh my god.. you-you heard all of that, didn't you?!"

"every word, Kitten, every word." he smiled warmly at her, "it's such a weird thing; a MIKO having such faith and trust in DEMONS!" Grimmjow laughed, hugging Kagome close. she truly was an amazing woman. '*the perfect mate.*' his beast purred happily.

"it's still embarrassing! oh my god... I can't believe you heard me say all that!"

"maybe for you, but I won't ever forget what just happened, I'm happy to know you think so highly of me. especially now, tch, when I have nothing left to impress anyone with."

"huh? what are you talking about? you're so strong, and quick on your feet. heh, not to mention you're a very smooth ride." she snuggled against him, muttering, "so warm..." as she did so.

"you really do look like a cub when you curl up against me like this. it's almost as cute as your morning squeak." he laughed, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close. her scent was still intoxicating despite the undertone of illness due to her cold.

"GAHH!" Kagome yelped, now hiding her face from him, "I've told you over and over, there's no way it's-"

"one of the cutest things I've ever heard." Grimmjow smirked broadly, he belted out a laugh when she pressed her face against him to muffle her scream of frustration.

a few giggles escaped her, as she playfully smacked his shoulder, "oh my god, you are impossible!" Kagome shouted indignantly, "absolutely impossible!"

"hey, I'm a demon, what do you expect?" he laughed loudly.

she loved the sound of his laugh, it was such a powerful, masculine sound, "well, I wasn't expecting you to act like such a wolf!" she giggled, her nerves already gone.

"ok, I take offense to that." he chuckled softly. "I take pride in my PANTHER blood!"

finding a chance to tease him, Kagome continued, "now to top it all off, even your grin was very-KYAA!" she yelped when she suddenly found herself pinned to the mattress, staring up at Grimmjow.

"what were you saying, Kitten? how even my grin was... something?" he grinned devilishly, "I dare ya to say it."

she just lay there, panting, gods...he was so hot, looming over her. he looked every bit as wild as she found she felt.

a devilish smirk quickly spread across her lips as well when the realization hit; he was FLIRTING WITH HER! heh, she had just been lightly teasing him. well, alright then, two can play that game. Kagome looked him right in the eye and winked, saying, "like a wolf."

some part of him still felt insanely jealous over the claims that had been staked on her, both by the hanyou, and that wolf. it sparked something, and he could feel adrenaline coursing through him, "you wanna see me LIKE A WOLF? I can show you just how WOLFISH I can be." before she had a chance to react, he leaned in and boldly began to nip and nibble on the spot where her shoulders met her neck.

his attack was so fast, she wasn't able to put her guard up, "ahn~..." a whisper soft whimper escaped her. followed by a loud gasp as he moved to suckle on her throat.

'*TAKE HER! TAKE HER NOW!*' his beast demanded, as Grimmjow's blood rushed through him like fire. the taste of her skin was absolutely addicting, he didn't even realize what was happening until the world flashed red, and he was no longer in total control of himself, "you're... all.. mine.." he growled, nibbling along her jawline, "miiinne..."

"ahn~ y-yours... ahh~ all yours.." she gasped, clinging to him desperately as her mind completely fogged over.

"that's right...you're all mine.." he claimed her lips gently, then again with much more passion.

she moaned into the kiss. "th-that means...ahnn~ y-you're mine too." Kagome gasped

he smirked broadly. "I wouldn't have it any other way." the sat back for a moment, he wanted to make sure the sight in front of him was burned into his memory. "you look so beautiful..." Grimmjow purred, his voice deep and gravelly. recognition snapped within her as she looked him in the eyes; they were a deep red on striking blue, not the cerulean on white that she had grown so fond of.

"y-your beast..." she whispered, reaching out and tracing the edge of his jawline. "so this is what it looks like on you. I've only ever seen Inuyasha and Sesshomaru with this look. wh-what should I call you?" Kagome asked still a little breathless. "I-I mean you're clearly a different side to Grimmjow; you're his beast, right?"

"how do you know I'm not the same as the one you've been speaking to all this time?" he purred, looming back over her.

her palm moved back to his cheek, "I know because Grimmjow doesn't have red eyes, but you do. the only other time I've ever seen eyes like this is when Inuyasha becomes a full demon, when his beast breaks free. I saw it for a moment with Sesshomaru a long time ago."

"mmm.." the man above her purred, nuzzling her throat for a moment, "you're the first to ask such a thing."

"so...you don't have a name?"

he chuckled, "of course I do, I've just never been asked to tell it." he sat up.

"s-so..?"

"I'll tell you only if you give me one more taste first, I can feel Grimmjow wanting his control back."

"well, I certainly can't argue with that condit-ahnmm."

with her guard down, he slanted his lips over hers, and slipped his tongue into her sweet cavern, making sure to commit every inch to memory. it wrapped around hers, she tasted so sweet. the action caused her to shiver, and let out a soft, "ahhn~"

"until we meet again, my dear, Kitten." he whispered.

"ahh..w-wait! you didn't tell me your name!" Kagome exclaimed as she saw the red and blue begin to fade into cerulean and white.

* * *

what do you think Grimmjow's beast should be named? should we stay with "Beast" or give him an actual name?

please, review with what you think his beast should be named


	22. Chapter 22

"Pantera" he purred, stealing another kiss before fully receding back.

"Pantera..." Kagome mumbled, feeling a bit dazed.

"hey, you ok?" Grimmow asked, staring at her with a concerned look.

"oh, yeah...I'm just..a bit dazed, heh...my first kiss...was with you and Pantera." she smiled lazily, gently touching her lips with her fingers, they still felt warm from Pantera's kisses.

Grimmjow scoffed, "yeah? so who do you think is better? me or Pantera?"

"hmm, I think I need to double check yours before I can decide." Kagome pulled him down for a soul-searing kiss.

a soft groan escaped them as their tongues battled for dominance. Grimmjow pulled back, leaving a long string of saliva hanging between them.

he smirked when he saw her grimace at it, "..eww.." Kagome laughed, wiping it away.

suddenly, he looked over at the door, "is something wrong?"

he silently jutted a thumb behind him. "what do you want?" he asked a bit loudly, glancing back over his shoulder.

the female's voice yelped, "AH! p-pardon my intrusion, but I come with lunch." it was one of the many maids that were employed in the western castle.

"you can just leave it at the door, thanks. I'll get it."

"a-are you sure?" the maid stammered.

"yeah, I'm sure. I promised I'd take care of her."

"well...alright, I will return shortly to check back on you." the maid spoke. the pit-pat sound of her footsteps receded as she went on to complete her other chores.

"I should probably let you rest instead of getting you all worked up." Grimmjow chuckled, stealing a quick kiss from her.

"I don't mind..." Kagome smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, and pulling him down for a gentle, sweet kiss. "mmm...see? this can be relaxing too."

"but you still need to eat and get proper rest, even I know that, and I'm no healer like you."

"I'm not a 'healer' either, it's just kind of common knowledge in my time."

"still, you need to eat." Grimmjow countered with a laugh.

"never said I didn't." Kagome laughed back, tapping him on the nose. "I hope she brought enough for both of us, you need to eat just as much as I do. you haven't left my side since I got sick."

this time Grimmjow tapped her nose, "fine, I'll eat if you do."

Kagome couldn't help but giggle, "that sounds fair."

chuckling to himself, Grimmjow got up and went to retrieve the food the maid had left them.

Kagome couldn't take her eyes off him; that big, sturdy back, those broad shoulders... "gods..." she whispered to herself. if her friends from school saw him, they'd no doubt make some loud squeal and exclaim how hot he looked. heh, and Kagome found she agreed. Grimmjow really was incredibly attractive; in every sense of the word.

he turned back to her, tray in-hand, and froze for a split second, then let out a loud scoff, "just couldn't take your eyes off me for a second, could ya?"

his voice snapped her from her thoughts, "huh?" she asked confusedly, "sorry, I was lost in thought, I guess."

chuckling softly, Grimmjow went over to her, "mind sharing?"

"oh...just about how my friends from my time would react to you if you made it through the well." Kagome smiled as she sat up in preparation to eat.

"out of curiosity, just how WOULD they react?" he snuggled up next to her, and set the tray across their laps.

"that's a secret, Grimm-kitty." Kagome gave him a peck on the cheek.

"sounds interesting. although I have to say...I'm a little more interested in how your little pack will react when they see my mark on you."

"y-your mark?" Kagome stammered,

"yeah, right here..." he gingerly trailed a fingertip over the red splotch on the side of her throat. "I'm really just curious about how the mutt will handle losing to me."

Kagome shuddered under his touch and slapped a hand to the spot he'd just touched. "oh my...-" red quickly crawled up her face as she recalled how a mark of any sort had gotten there. it was from him nibbling and sucking on her throat "oh my god! y-you gave me a hickey? Grimmjow! oh my god..." she laughed.

"what?" he leaned in with a smirk, "do you want another? I'd be happy to help with that."

"geez, I don't think I could handle another." Kagome giggled nervously.

"I'll have to replace it when it starts fading, since this one is just temporary." he shrugged, taking a bite of his meal; it looked like a chicken leg, only much bigger.

"geez..." Kagome smiled. from that point, it was quiet while they ate, but it was a comfortable silence. after they finished, Kagome laid her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh.

"tired?" he chuckled, setting the tray on the nightstand next to the bed.

"only a little bit.." she replied softly. "you're so warm..."

"alright, come on, let's get you back to sleep, Kitten. you're still sick, you need rest. I should-"

"no, you promised you'd stay here. besides, it'll be too cold if you leave." Kagome whined softly.

"-set the tray outside the door." Grimmjow said, finishing his sentence, "because I'd rather that maid not have to knock on the door and wake you up,"

"oh, fine." Kagome huffed playfully, laying down in her side, facing away from him.

"I won't be gone for more than a few moments." he whispered, pecking her on the cheek before getting up with the tray.

she could hear the door open, the gentle clank of the tray and bowl being set on the floor, and the door closing. "see? that didn't take too long, now did it?"

"just get back here." Kagome giggled, rolling over and holding her arms out to the demon.

"sure, sure." Grimmjow chuckled, sauntering over to her. as he flopped down onto the bed, he pulled her into his arms, and held her close. burying his face in the crook of her neck for a moment, "I can't get enough of your scent..." he mumbled softly.

"what was that?"

"your scent, I can't get enough of it." Grimmjow said, louder this time.

"yeah? I like yours too." she smiled, putting her arms around his back, hugging him. "but I think I like your warmth the best. it's so comforting."

"you're pretty warm too, heh, for a human." he chuckled, and smiled when a big yawn escaped her. "if you're tired, you can sleep, I'll watch over ya."

"yeah? hmm...thanks." Kagome sighed, snuggling against Grimmjow's chest, and soon she fell asleep.

he was left in the quiet room, the only sounds to be heard were her deep and even breaths, and the birds chirping outside. "sleep well, Kitten." he snuggled against her.

come morning, Kagome was woken up by some loud shouting coming from outside the window, "wha? what's all the yelling about?"

"I think the hanyou came looking for you, we've been in the castle for nearly a week, you know." Grimmjow spoke matter-of-factly.

"A WEEK?!" she jumped up in a panic.

"hey, hey. calm down. are you feeling well enough to be on your feet?" Grimmjow patted her shoulder.

"it doesn't matter if I-"

"well, it matters to me. besides, if the hanyou found out I let you run around while you were still sick, he'd just give everyone a headache yelling at me about it."

"hmm, yeah, that does sound like something Inuyasha would do, and to answer your question, yes, I feel plenty well enough. thank you for staying by me during all that."

"although, Inuyasha still made a huge fuss over the whole thing."

"yeah, not to mention it didn't help things when he saw you had that mark on your throat." Grimmjow laughed.

"yeah, he wasn't too happy about that..." Kagome sweat-dropped.

"I thought you were just here to heal up Rin!" Inuyasha barked.

"I was, but then...things happened, and I got sick too, Grimmjow-"

"I knew we couldn't trust some damn CAT!"

"GRIMMJOW...took care of me." Kagome finished her sentence pointedly. "he was very sweet."

"tch! whatever, you've wasted way too much time here, we need to get back to searching for the-..." Inuyasha trailed off suddenly. "what the hell is that?" he snapped glaring at the little red splotch on the side of Kagome's throat with a burning hate. Grimmjow smirked ever-so-faintly at the sight.

"w-well...it's...it's called a hickey..."

"it's a courting mark." a deep baritone voice interrupted. "but you don't have the first inkling of mating traditions, do you, brother?"

"Sesshomaru..." Inuyasha snarled.

the regal demon looked over at the couple. "you would do well to keep an eye on her, Grimmjow, she has a gift for getting into trouble."

"yeah, I've already discovered that." Grimmjow laughed, while wrapping an arm around her waist.

"G-Grimmjow!" Kagome yelped indignantly.

"oh, come on, Kitten, we both know it's true!"

"although, you are quite the same if I recall." Sesshomaru added with a scoff.

"hehe, yeah, he's a trouble maker, alright." Kagome giggled, patting the panther on the shoulder.

"gods..." Inuyasha grumbled, turning around to leave. "come on, we've wasted so much time, let's get going." he waved, and began to walk away as if he expected the couple to simply follow behind him.

"miko. you have my gratitude for healing Rin." Sesshomaru nodded towards Kagome.

"oh, it's nothing, really."

"even though, you got sick looking for that bracelet thing..." Grimmjow added softly, earning a gentle smack to the arm.

"thank you for your hospitality, Lord Sesshomaru!" Kagome smiled brightly.

"awww, is it time to go?" Shippo asked, running up to the window with Rin, then jumped down to Kagome.

"come back soon, Lady Kagome!" Rin shouted, waving excitedly.

Grimmjow noticed something on the girl's wrist caught the light, "hey.. didn't Kagome gave you that?" he asked.

"huh?" Rin, confused to what the panther was gesturing at, looked to her wrist, "oh! yeah!"

"how'd you get it back?"

"Miss Chika brought it to me!"

Sesshomaru gave Rin a small pat on the head, "yes. she said she found it just outside the main gates, and it was reminiscent of my youki as I'd placed a charm on it in case it was ever lost."

"I'm super glad you did, Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin beamed, looking up at the regal demon.

"Miko. Grimmjow. Rukia. Renji." a deep baritone voice cut through thee room.

"ah, brother!" Rukia exclaimed, causing the couple to look over and see Byakuya striding over.

"you..." he trailed off, as if the words were difficult to get out. "knew the western lord, Sesshomaru?"

Grimmjow nodded first, "oh yeah, my pride had something of an alliance with the west, so I helped with battles in the south from time to time."

Byakuya seemed momentarily stunned by Grimmjow's words. "Father..." he whispered.


	23. Chapter 23

**sorry for the long wait, I had a horrible case of writer's block, then half way through the chapter, the file corrupted, and I had to rewrite it, (a blessing in disguise, really, it turned out much better than it had been before the corrupt), but don't worry, the chapters should be more steady for a while, I have a good plan for where to go. REMEMBER, COMMENT WITH IDEAS, I CAN ALWAYS USE MORE.**

 **dedicated to my co-theorizer, (gotta keep up with story logic to combine 2 animes ;P, afterall) miranda Moonwalker, and to all of you that have given me ideas, and support. I wouldn't have been able to get so far into this story without you all! x3 thank you!**

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"father?" Grimmjow parroted confusedly, "you mean you're Sesshomaru's kid?"

"AH!" Kagome exclaimed, "that means Lady Chika is your mom!"

"yes. Chika Kuchiki is indeed my mother"

"oh, I'm so glad Lord Sesshomaru found a mate!" she beamed, the woman's surname had yet to fully click.

Rukia and Renji stood up, "we'll just get the rest of your story later." Rukia smiled softly

Renji nodded, adding, "yeah, and I should probably get back to my work as lieutenant."

Byakuya simply nodded while Kagome waved, "yes, I will definitely finish the story later!"

then, as if some hilarious realization struck the arrancar, Grimmjow barked out a laugh, "then that means the mutt is your uncle!"

the words had visiblly irked the captain. "...yes...although, I never cared much for Inuyasha."

"AH! Chika KUCHIKI? then she was a soul reaper from the start?" Kagome asked.

"yes, I am a half demon." Byakuya sat down where Rukia and Renji had just been. "my very existence is a contradiction. I have a physical form, yet I am also just a soul."

"don't you have something to keep your demon side in check?"

"indeed." Byakuya unsheathed Senbonsakura, "it's amazing, really. my powers as a soul reaper, and as a demon both reside within my zanpakuto." of course, this didn't count kido.

"incredible..!" Kagome gasped.

"heh, you could pass as an espada, all you're missing is a mask and a hollow hole!" Grimmjow snickered.

"but I can't help but wonder.." Kagome spoke, thinking aloud. "why are you bringing this up? did Sesshomaru die when you were young, and you want to know more about him?"

"no, my father is still very much alive, so is my mother." Byakuya sighed, crossing his arms. "I bring this up because I wish to know more about what to expect from Grimmjow. if my father trusts you, then I-"

"does that really matter now? I mean, I'm an arrancar, so I guess I'm more hollow than demon. plus the soul society said they have no record of 'demons' ever existing. sounds to me like Sesshomaru put a lot of effort into hiding demons from the world as it changed with time." Grimmjow cut off the captain.

Kagome looked at her beloved panther, stunned. he wasn't exactly a brute, all action and no thought. he could be incredibly insightful at times, but he never went into such deep thought provoking detail like this.

"what? I can think." he chuckled, smirking at her.

"I know that, I just didn't expect it to be so...eloquent" Kagome giggled softly.

"tch, you make me sound like the mutt." he then glanced up at Byakuya, "no offense, I guess"

Byakuya scoffed in response, "Inuyasha was indeed more of a brute than a thinker, I take pride in the fact that I took after my father."

"huh?" Kagome blinked, "you..took after your father? but you..." she seemed to examine him up and down for a moment, "look nothing like a demon, much less like such a REGAL demon."

an almost-there-smile softened the soul reaper's expression, "very observant, little miko." Byakuya chuckled for a moment.

"AH! S-Sesshomaru always called me that!" she smiled up at Grimmjow for a moment, "so did you for a while." then returned her gaze to Byakuya, "I guess your father spoke of me?"

"from time to time. you were a very curious being to my father, he could never quite fully understand you, and as a tactician, that bothered him greatly, then again, my mother was very similar to you."

"your mother was a very wonderful woman, she taught me some new uses for my reiki, I realize now that she taught me some kido, and I'm still grateful to her for it."

"yes..as a pup, I would often be confused for Inuyasha's son, until they saw my mark of royalty." Byakuya sighed, "as the times changed, and youkai were seen as ugly creatures, father and I had charms created to hide our demonic nature." Byakuya opened the collar of his kimono slightly, to reveal a necklace with a single pendant on it, it was of a crescent moon encircling a sakura blossom. "heh, the design was of my mother's choosing." he scoffed softly, his brown eyes cast downward, and running his thumb along the surface of the magical item. he soon gripped it tightly in a fist, and muttered a few words in some archaic language, long since forgotten by time. his body shimmered for a moment, as if a heat fog had slid down his form. his hair bled silver, while two triangle doggy-eared appendages sprung out atop his head, twitching and swiveling identically to Inuyasha's. an indigo crescent moon faded into view, sitting proudly upon his forehead, two magenta stripes seemed to be slashed back into place, his fingernails lengthened into claws, his upper lip bulged almost imperceptibly as his canines grew to be fangs. on the hand gripping the pendant, a set of stripes identical to the ones on his cheeks could now be seen sitting on his wrist. as Byakuya looked back up at the couple, Kagome gasped, his eyes were no longer brown, but a striking gold.

"wow..." she breathed, "heh...you really are the spitting image of your father."

"ya know...aside from the twitchy little doggy ears." Grimmjow chuckled, very much amused by the way they flicked with annoyance.

"yes...well," Byakuya paused, after muttering the same archaic words, his body shifted back to its human appearance. "that is simply a part of being half demon."

[x-elswhere-x]

Aizen sat in Los Noches, pondering. "just where is that panther..." he mumbled aloud, chin resting on a fist.

"Lord Aizen, you requested my presence?" Ulquiorra asked.

"yes, you were the last to see Grimmjow, do you know where he is." Aizen asked calmly.

"no, I do not. he had failed to meet back with me after the time we had specified." Ulquiorra shrugged, "he ran off, saying we would meet back at the Garganta after one hour had transpired. I finished my reconnaissance and returned to the Garganta. after nearly an hour, he had yet to return, so I searched for his spiritual power. it appeared to be within Ichigo Kurosaki's home, I was about to retrieve him, when I sensed a soul reaper captain enter the world of the living, then go straight for his home, after the captain left, I was about to make my way to Grimmjow when another soul reaper came, but only stayed for a moment before returning to the soul society with a young woman, causing Grimmjow to pursue. as far as I am aware, Grimmjow is in the soul society, I do not think he has perished, he is too strong to have died so soon, most likely, that woman is important to Grimmjow...perhaps..." Ulquiorra paused, thinking for a moment, "perhaps a lover he had back before he became a hollow. it is only a theory, but the fact still stands." the fourth espada bowed for a moment, "shall I go retrieve him, Lord Aizen?"

"hmm, this could be the perfect ambush..." Aizen mused, "no, I want you to infiltrate the soul society, and see what Grimmjow is doing, then report back to me, avoid a fight, we do not want them knowing we are aware of what is going on."

"yes, right away." Ulquiorra bowed deeply, and walked away, seemingly contemplating his course of action.

"what do you think that boy is doing in the soul society?" Gin wondered, "and that account of him following after a woman? Grimmjow would be the last one I would suspect of having a LOVER."

"yes... this is indeed quite curious, just what are you doing, Grimmjow...judging from what Ulquiorra finds, I just might have to punish that panther.." Aizen sighed

"I don't know about you, Lord Aizen, but I'm VERY curious to see what kind of woman Grimmjow is so smitten with!" Gin laughed


	24. Chapter 24 (thank you Foxluna)

**thank you to everyone who responded to my pm. _special thanks to Foxluna _for the ABSOLUTELY AMAZING plot twist that I have coming up. **

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"hnhnhn, it would seem our cat has found himself a canary. I, too, am excited to see what his little birdy has to offer, perhaps, with a little prompting she will sing for me." Aizen chuckled meaningfully.

"I can't wait to meet her." Gin smiled excitedly

[-x-]

"Szayel Apporo." Ulquiorra greeted the arrancar scientist

"ah, Ulquiorra, I imagine you are here for another outing with your woman?" Szyayel Apporo Granz, the mad scientist of the espada, chuckled.

"something like that." Ulquiorra hummed, moving to the back of the lab, where a large liquid filled tube stood, it was well illuminated, and held what looked to be a human version of Ulquiorra. "I imagine you have been making improvements since my last use of it?"

"of course, your observations are really quite helpful!"

"I will be gone for longer than my previous times, Lord Aizen wishes for me to investigate Grimmjow's disappearance into the soul society."

"ooh! how exciting! I'll get to test the suit in a new environment!" Szayel Apporo clapped his hands together like an excited child.

"so it seems." Ulquiorra seemed to realize something as he turned to face the mad scientist. "that reminds me, Hime mentioned the body feels quite warm to the touch, she seemed to quite enjoy that."

"well, it is modeled to replicate a human body, of course it would be warm."

he pressed a few buttons and the liquid drained from the tube, leaving the human body of Ulquiorra seemingly asleep on the bottom, curled into a ball. "I will admit, this human body you constructed for me is quite comfortable." Ulquiorra commented, he scooped it up and went into a back room of the lab.

"I must say, Ulquiorra those clothes your woman picked out for you truly are exceptionally interesting!" Szayel Apporo laughed, running a hand along the 'batman' logo print of the spare set of clothing Orihime had bought. he glanced over to the corner where a set of entirely black 'armour' of sorts had been tossed, including a helmet that somewhat resembled the fourth espada's mask, "explain to me again what this, 'batman', does."

"as far as I am aware, he fights crime in a fictional city named Gotham, and before you ask about the pile in the corner, Orihime was absolutely dead set on me dressing as him for this event known as 'Halloween'." Ulquiorra huffed.

"oh-ho! so did this 'Halloween' go?" Szayel Apporo snickered.

"you know full well what happened, I refuse to speak of that night." it wasn't truly a horrible night, as Orihime couldn't quite seem keep her hands off him. it had been a LONG night for both of them, not that he had truly complained. a very short time later, Ulquiorra returned from the back room, now looking entirely human. he wore a forest green t-shirt with the black 'batman' symbol across the chest, and a pair of dark blue jeans. "I shall take care of this Cuerpo."

"yes, see that you do."

taking full advantage of his sonido, Ulquiorra went through the Garganta, and into the world of the living.

he pressed the button next to her door, ~ding dong~

"Hime. I have something to ask of you." Ulquiorra spoke through the door.

"ah! Ulquiorra!" he could hear her exclaiming from somewhere in the apartment. he smiled ever-so-faintly, he loved surprising her, she had the cutest reactions...

the door swung open and his beloved Orihime launched herself at him. of course, he was able to catch her with ease. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon! ah! and you're wearing your Cuerpo, does that mean you're here to take me out on a date?"

"yes and no. I actually have a small favor to ask of you. I know you wish for me to detach myself from Aizen and I am looking for ways to leave without putting you in danger."

"I'm just glad I get to see you as often as I do, I absolutely love your visits." she smiled wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"yes, as do I." a small smile broke out on his lips, it was beyond him how this little woman managed to get under his skin, and not only find his heart, but to then steal it, and cherish it.

"so, Grimmjow is in the soul society?"

"after my visit a few days ago, the one I was forced to cut short."

"oh yeah! you were so grumpy about it." she giggled, they'd been snuggled on the couch, watching a movie together. when it ended, Ulquiorra had to leave right away.

"Grimmjow had not returned, and when I tried to sense his spiritual pressure, I found it in Ichigo Kurosaki's house. two soul reapers came and went, one of them had taken a woman and fled to the soul society, which prompted Grimmjow to chase after. I don't suppose you know of that woman, do you?"

"well...the only one it could have possibly been is Kagome." as if a light bulb had gone off in her head, "AH! then that means Grimmjow is her panther! oh, I'm so happy she finally has her panther back!" she exclaimed with glee

"has him back?" he was utterly perplexed

"yeah, she would tell us about how she used to know a panther demon when she traveled around the feudal era."

"the feudal era?" something in Ulquiorra clicked into place. that's right...that's when he was alive...

little by little, memories came trickling back in.

"heh, yeah, it's a little complicated, and to be honest, I don't fully understand it. she said there was a part of her home that would let her time travel." Orihime giggled as they sat down the couch.

he chuckled softly, "that's not quite what I meant, Hime. I was alive in that time. as a bat demon, I'd completely forgotten what it was like."

"ah! so you remember what it was like when you were alive?"

"it's coming back little pieces at a time. what I remember most is that I was a rather solitary creature. hmph, and yet now I can't imagine being without you. hmph, my lovely little princess"

"aww, and I love you, my dark and mysterious Batman." Orihime giggled.

he scoffed gently. "I've told you so many times, I-" she cut him off with a kiss.

"you're a bat demon, so it counts." she giggled.

"you are such a strange woman. but I wouldn't have you any other way." he pulled her in for a kiss. "I promise to take you out for a real date soon."

"okay!" Orihime beamed. "how long do you have before you have to go back to Hueko Mundo?"

"a few days seems like a sufficient time."

"A FEW DAYS?! THAT'S AMAZING!" she hugged him tight.

"I plan to spend the first day investigating, and should everything go well, you may dictate how the rest of my time goes."

"yes! we're going to have so much fun!"

"I know I am asking a great deal of you. the soul society will most certainly label you as a traitor if my identity is discovered." he sighed.

"if that happens, Ichigo can help me prove you aren't a threat!" Orihime exclaimed.

"you are certain you do not mind assisting me? I do not wish to place you in harm's way."

"of course I want to help! I love you, Ulquiorra."

he chuckled softly, "I love you as well."

he knew not to argue the point further, when Orihime made her mind up about something, there was little he could do to change it. "do you have a way of getting us into the soul society without causing alarm? I would prefer to keep a low profile."

"yeah! I can call Rukia, Kisuke, or even Rangiku or Renji!" Orihime flipped open her phone, and pressed some buttons before putting it to her ear.


	25. Chapter 25

the sun had set over the horizon of the seireitei. crickets were chirping, flowers danced as the wind caressed them, the stars she had not seen since the feudal era glittered in the sky above. "haaa..." Kagome sighed, not caring about any of it. instead her attention was captured by the man in front of her, with his head in her lap. "you know... sitting here like this in the Kuchiki gardens.." she looked up at the stars dotting the night sky for just a moment, "under the stars, with your head in my lap, it really is just like old times, huh?"

"yeah, though this time there's no cranky dog to interrupt us." Grimmjow laughed, reaching up to cup her face in his large palm. "I wish I could go back, and force my past self to take the mutt with me, I could have come back to you right then. I'm sorry I hurt you like that. I SWEAR TO YOU, when it comes time to fight Aizen, I won't make that same mistake, at the VERY LEAST, I'll take Kurosaki with me."

"hmm.." Kagome hummed, placing her and over his. "I'm not angry with you. how can I be? you defeated Naraku, and you still came back to me. you took your sweet time getting here, but you're back."

"hmm. I love you, Kitten. you're all mine, I won't let Aizen take you from me." he smiled softly up at her. the gentle throbbing that he'd noticed when they'd reunited had only grown stronger.

Kagome seemed to be distracted by something, "...your hole is getting smaller." she smiled.

"my-..what?" startled, he sat up. running a hand over it, he could feel what seemed to be a tiny ring of scarred tissue encircling his hollow-hole. "it..." he was completely lost for words.

"it's healing..." Kagome supplied in a sweet tone.

"do you think it's because hollows aren't supposed to have 'hearts'? ever since I found you a few days ago..." Grimmjow put a palm just over the spot that rhythmically throbbed, "I've felt this...throbbing"

Kagome brushed his hand away, so she could feel it herself. quickly, she gasped, "y-your heart is beating! that's absolutely amazing!" she beamed.

"I haven't felt that since I died... do you think I'm starting to...become..ALIVE?"

"maybe you're becoming a soul reaper instead of an arrancar?" she joked.

"ha ha...very funny, Kitten. I'm being serious." Grimmjow chuckled.

"well, from how Rukia explained hollows, maybe you're regressing in terms of hollowification? I mean...hollows are just souls who have lost their hearts, right? so if you're getting yours back, so..you're...UN-hollowing?"

"...un-hollowing...?" Grimmjow laughed deeply with a mocking tone. "I'm UN-HOLLOWING. THAT'S you're calling it? UN-hollowing? hahaha!"

"then what would YOU call it, smarty-cat?" Kagome laughed, playfully smacking him on the chest.

"oww...hey, I call animal abuse." he feigned hurt.

"you're not hurt, ya dummy!" she laughed. "for the record, I love you too. even though you can be a big dummy sometimes."

"I wonder if your mom still wants us to have that... wedding...ceremony...thing."

"AH! THE WEDDING!" Kagome gasped, but she quickly calmed down, opting to run her fingers through his electric blue hair, "yeah, I'm positive Mom still wants us to have a wedding. it's human tradition, after all, and I AM a human." as she spoke, something in her clicked, she was a demon's mate, she couldn't be human, at least...not ENTIRELY human anymore. she had a small bit of his blood running through her, and he had some of hers. "th-that's right...I-I mated with a demon, I-I'm not fully human..."

"why do you sound so disappointed by that?" Grimmjow asked softly.

"huh?" Kagome's focus snapped back to her mate. "what do you mean? how could I be disappointed? I get to spend eternity with you. what could I possibly want more?" Kagome cocked her head to the side confusedly.

"to have that wedding..." he sighed gently.

"oh...Grimm-kitty..." she gently kissed him, "I can still have a human wedding even if I'm no longer FULLY HUMAN. I love you, Grimm-kitty. I love you so much."

"well, since that seems to be settled, could you go back to-" he was cut off by a soft purr escaping as Kagome scratched his scalp for a moment, before running her hands through his hair.

she giggled, "you really like it when I pet you, and it doesn't even matter which form you take. you're a cat, through and through. but I suppose you're not just any kitty, you're an alpha feline." she leaned in slightly, and whispered, "you're the king."

"mmmm, you're damn right, I'm the king, and you're my queen. my beautiful, sexy queen." he smirked broadly, showcasing his sharp canines.

"forever and always." she smiled.

"forever and always." he smiled back, finally feeling content with his place in the world. he didn't have to rule the world of the living, nor command an army of hollows, all he needed was his mate.

"so, this is where you ran off to, Grimmjow." the voice coming from behind them had the ex-espada on his feet instantly, "Ulquiorra..." he snarled, ready to protect his mate.

rolling his emerald hues, the pale man huffed slightly, "relax, I'm not here to threaten you nor your woman. I was ordered only to ascertain your whereabouts, not retrieve you."

"what do you plan on doing with that info, batty? and what's with the human get-up?"

"it's the Cuerpo that Szayel Apporo constructed for me. it is so that I appear human in every way while retaining my powers should my princess need protecting" Ulquiorra explained calmly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"your princess?" Kagome asked from behind the panther.

"hey, Kagome." someone walked out from behind a large bush, "it's been a little while, huh? a lot has changed hasn't it?"

"O-Orihime? you...a-and Ulquiorra...?" Kagome was stunned! what was sweet, innocent Orihime doing with an espada?

Orihime laughed awkwardly, "heheh...you're probably wondering what I'm doing with Ulquiorra, from what we overheard, I can tell it's the same reason you're with Grimmjow." Orihime wrapped her arms around Ulquiorra's lanky frame, "I love Ulquiorra so much." she smiled, nuzzling against him.

Ulquiorra seemed to be just a tad uncomfortable with it, almost like it was more nerves than annoyance, he smiled gently at her, "are you attempting to show me off now?" he chuckled softly, shaking his head for a moment.

his expression quickly returned to it's ever-bored countenance. "as you can see, I am no threat to your woman. I have my own, and she is perfect for me."

his words of praise earned a soft squeal of pure delight from the redheaded woman. "I love you too, Ulquiorra!" her arms tightened around him by a fraction.

"I never figured you for a touchy-feely kinda guy."

"it was an...acquired taste, you could call it." Ulquiorra smiled gently at the woman hugging him.

"so you really did dislike her at the beginning. I figured as much."

"as I said, an acquired taste. I wouldn't change anything about her, as I imagine you feel the same about your woman."

Grimmjow paused for a few moments, "alright, ya got me there. fine, you win." he sighed gruffly, laying back down.

"I'm curious, Orihime. does Ulquiorra have any...animalistic tendencies?"

Orihime was stunned by the sudden question, "huh? what do you mean, animalistic?"

"well..Grimmy is a cat-"

"panther." he spoke, wanting to correct her.

"which is a type of cat" Kagome giggled, tapping him on the nose, which caused him playfully try to bite the offending digit. "so he tends to do things a cat would. for example." Kagome used both hands to scratch the arrancar's scalp.

quickly a soft growl like sound permeated the gardens.

"is he...purring?" Ulquiorra was a bit stunned.

"yeah, and the more he likes something, the louder he purrs." Kagome beamed.

"maybe we should see if you like-"

"perhaps when we have some privacy, but do NOT expect me to 'purr'." Ulquiorra huffed, he had an exceptionally hard time denying his princess when she desired to touch him.

"so...you're on a date to the soul society, Orihime?" Kagome giggled, eyeing the couple pointedly

"uh, sort of...but we're going to go back to the world of the living soon and finish it there." Orihime beamed, still hugging her arrancar boyfriend.

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luna, please reply to the pm, it is of utmost importance


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